Selection For Resistance and Tolerance to Oat Mosaic Virus and Oat Golden Stripe Virus in Hexaploid Oats.

Coker 716, a hexaploid oat cultivar resistant to both oat mosaic virus (OMV) and oat golden stripe virus (OGSV) was crossed to three susceptible cultivars (Brooks, Madison, and Tech) to form three individual populations. Individual breeding lines were derived from each cross in the F2 generation and tested in plots consisting of equally spaced individual hills in OMV- and OGSV-infested soils and non-infested soils to evaluate resistance and yield loss of individual lines. Foliar symptoms, harvest index, and yield loss were examined as selection criteria for resistant genotypes. The study was conducted over 2 years at two North Carolina locations that differed in soil type and climate. Multiple regression models describing yield loss in each cross due to rating, year, and location were calculated. Coefficients of multiple determination in these models ranged from 0.39 to 0.51. Yield loss ranged from 39 to 60% among different crosses. Infection by OMV and OGSV accounted for the majority of yield loss in two of the populations. Disease severity varied widely over years and locations. The results suggest that selection of lines with symptomatic tissue of 10% or less, or selection of tolerant lines, is needed for breeding progress.