Abstract
We devised a method to evaluate anthracnose disease resistance that can generate highly accurate results on a small-scale basis in a relatively short period of time. Aseptically-sown strawberry seedlings were clonally multiplied on medium containing a cytokinin. After acclimation, resistance to anthracnose disease was evaluated by spray inoculation with Colletotrichum gloeosporioides (Glomerella cingulata) at a concentration of 1 × 104 spores・mL−1. This approach allows the evaluation of resistance within approximately 120 days after seeding, with accuracy equivalent to that of the existing method using runner plants. The new method requires no field for inoculation, and so assessment can be completed within a small-scale, closed space such as an acclimation case. Furthermore, susceptible individual seedlings may subsequently be used as materials for genetic analysis, as these plants can be preserved as uninfected clonal seedlings.
