Genetics of Burley and Flue-Cured Tobacco Resistance to Globodera tabacum tabacum.

Genotypes of burley (cultivars B-21 and B-49), flue-cured (line VA-81 and cultivar PD-4), and Connecticut broadleaf (cultivar C9) tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) resistant (R) or susceptible (S) to the tobacco cyst nematode Globodera tabacum tabacum were crossed. F1 progeny of burley and susceptible broadleaf were selfed and backcrossed to produce additional progeny for evaluation of resistance in greenhouse experiments. Plants without adult female nematodes visible (x10 magnification) on the root surface 6 weeks after inoculation were classified as resistant, whereas those plants in which one or more females were evident were classified as susceptible. Segregation ratios for progeny of resistant and susceptible plants were not different from 3:1 and 1:1 for F2 (F1 x F1) and BC1 (F1 x S) lines, respectively, indicating that resistance in burley to G. t. tabacum is conferred by a single, dominant gene. Segregation ratios for resistance in crosses between nematode-resistant burley and flue-cured tobacco (F1 and F2 progeny) and between burley-flue-cured hybrids and broadleaf BC1 (F1 x S) and BC2 (BC1 x S) progeny were consistent with the assumption that resistance to G. t. tabacum in burley and flue-cured tobacco is conferred by the same or closely linked single, dominant gene(s).