Evaluation of yield potential and resistance to rhizoctonia (Rhizoctonia solani) disease of new sugar beet (Beta vulgaris L.) hybrids

Rhizoctonia root rot disease is considered as one of the important diseases in sugar beet. Using resistant cultivars decreses production costs, especially application of fungicides and increases the efficiency in controlling of root rot disease. Therefore, growing of resistant cultivars is considered the best approach for disease control. To achieve this goal and to determine yield potential of new sugar beet hybrids resistant to Rhizoctonia root rot disease, 92 hybrids as well as susceptible and resistant cultivars were evaluated in two experiments in research field of Ekbatan station of Hamedan, Iran in 2016. Considering the experimental results and with respect to the average effect of pollinators and single crosses, 20 hybrids were selected and evaluated in Karaj, Hamedan, Ghazvin, Torbate Jam and Shiraz regions in 2017. Evaluation of hybrids in term of resistance to rhizoctonia was simultaneously performed under micro-plot conditions in Hamedan. In both years (2015 and 2016), the experiment was conducted in randomized complete block design with six replications. The results of resistance evaluation under micro-plot conditions reavealed that five hybrids consisting; 9, 13, 16, 4 and 18 were more resistant than cv. Ekbatan for resistance to rhizoctonia root rot disease. Yield potential evaluation in different locations showed that new hybrids had desirable level of yield potential and most of them had no significant difference with cv. Ekbatan.Considering the results of resistance to rhizochtonia disease and yield potential evaluation, three hybrids no. 4 (SC(P.395*P.90)*P.165), no. 9 (SC(P.395*P.90)*P.121) and no. 16 (SC(P.395*P.23)*P.165) that were more resistance with higher yield potential in comparison with cv. Ekbatan were identified as promising hybrids for being evaluated in Value for Cultivation and Use (VCU) test.