2Division of Vegetable Crops, ICAR-Indian Institute of Horticultural Research, Bengaluru-560089, Karnataka, India
1Retired Director, ICAR-CPCRI, Kasaragod-671124, Kerala, India
*Author for Correspondence: Email- Varalakshmi.B@icar.gov.in
Online published on 24 June, 2022.
Ridge gourd [Luffa acutangula (Roxb.) L.] is one of the important cucurbit vegetable cultivated widely in India and other Asian countries. Downy mildew caused by Pseudoperono sporacubensis (Berk. and Curt.) Rostovzev severely affects the ridge gourd production during rainy season. Therefore, in the current study 12 genotypes including some promising inbred lines were screened for downy mildew resistance which resulted in the selection of three moderately resistant advanced selections viz, IIHR-17-2-1 (PDI -16.25), IIHR-7-5-1 (PDI -21.40) and IIHR-17-1-7-3 (PDI -21.60) with low AUDPC values (467.59-634.26). Genetics of downy mildew resistance in two different F2 populations derived from IIHR-52-1-30 × IIHR-17-1-7-3 and IIHR-23-8-10 × IIHR-7-5-1 respectively revealed that two major genes are interactive in dominant suppression epistasis and complementary epistasis. These results will aid ridge gourd breeder to develop a strategic downy mildew disease resistant breeding program.
owny mildew screening, Inheritance, Resistance, Ridge gourd
