Breeding Evaluation of Black Currant for Resistance to Sphaerotheca mors-uvae (Schw.) Berk. et Gurt.

Black currant (Ribes nigrum) plants are susceptible to a range of fungal diseases. Especially noticeable among them is American powdery mildew, that has affected this crop for over a century. The disease is caused by the ascomycete fungus Sphaerotheca mors-uvae (Schw.) Berk. et Gurt. Severe infection by the pathogen can result in a 50-80 % yield loss, a two- to threefold reduction in shoot growth, and, in extreme cases, plant mortal ity. The objective of this study was to assess black currant  accessions from both the collection and hybrid pools for resistance to powdery mildew, to identify the most promising crossing combinations for generating resistant progeny, and to select prospective breeding forms. The research was conducted between 2021 and 2023 at the Core Research Facility “Genetic Bioresource Collection of Plants” of the Federal Horticultural Center for Breeding, Agrotechnology and Nursery and at the black currant crossing site of the Kokino Experimental Station (Federal Horticultural Center for Breeding, Agrotechnology and Nursery). The study encompassed 70 cultivars, 14 selected seedlings, progeny from 12 crossing combinations, and 4 open-pollinated progenies, totaling 1,045 seedlings. The hybrid pool under examination originated from crosses made in 2017 and was planted in the selection breed ing plots in the spring of 2019. Research conducted across seasons with varying weather conditions and degrees of powdery mildew infestation enabled differentiation of the genetic collection samples based on their resistance to the pathogen. Several promising crossing combinations were identified for their production of Sphaerotheca resistant hybrids: ‘Ben Tirran’ × ‘Kipiana’, 41-03-5 × ‘Ben Hope’, ‘Ben Hope’ × ‘Dar Smolyaninovoy’, ‘Podarok Veteranam’ × ‘Mriya’, and ‘Diamant’ × ‘Litvinovskaya’. Positive results were also obtained from open-pollinated progenies of the cultivars ‘Chernavka’ and ‘Dar Smolyaninovoy’ as well as the breeding line 41-03-5, where hybrid selections combined powdery mildew resistance with other desirable agronomic traits, such as resistance to the black currant gall mite and leaf spots, large berry size, multiple racemes per bud. All of the above make berries suitable for mechanical harvest.  The future strategy for improving the black currant assortment may be based on incorporating the identified sources of powdery mildew resistance into breeding programs, utilizing newly devel oped, well-adapted breeding stock.

1. Adzhiakhmetova S. L., Chervonnaya N. M., Pozdnya kov D. I., Oganesyan E. T. Study of the total content of an tioxidants, polysaccharides, element composition and amino acids of vegetable raw material, Сhemistry of plant raw ma terial. 2021;3:265-274. DOI: 10.14258/jcprm.2021037774. (in Russ.).

2. Sazonova I. D. Biochemical evaluation of raspberry and black currant fruits in the southwestern part of the Non-Black Soil Zone of Russia, Bulletin of the Bryansk Agricultural Academy. 2021;5(87):36-44. DOI: 10.52691/2500-2651-2021-87-5-36-44. (in Russ.).

3. Sazonov F., Kulikov I., Tumaeva T., Sazonova I. Cre ation of new initial forms of black currant (Ribes nigrum L.) in breeding for adaptation, E3S Web Conf. 2021;254:01029. DOI: 10.1051/e3sconf/202125401029.

4. Zeynalov A. S. Atlas-directory of the main pests and diseas es of berry crops and measures to combat them. Monografi ya, Sovremennoe sel’skoe hozyajstvo Rossii. M.: OOO «Agroliga», 2016, 232. (in Russ.).

5. Mishina M. N., Yamshchikova E. I. American powdery mil dew on black currant: harmfulness, causes and signs of occur rence, Science and education. 2021;4(2):413. (in Russ.).

6. Gasimov F. M., Koteneva I. E. Resistance of black currant varieties to diseases in the Southern Urals, Modern gardening. 2022;2:1-10. DOI: 10.52415/23126701_2022_0201. (in Russ.).

7. Bakhotskaya А.Yu., Knyazev S.D. Preliminary assessment of a black currant new hybrid material for resistance to biotic factors, Vestnik rossijskoj sel’skohozyajstvennoj nauki. 2021;6:37-39. DOI: 10.30850/vrsn/2021/6/37-39. (in Russ.).

8. Zhidekhina T. V., Gur’yeva I. V. Creation of a hybrid fund of black currant highly resistant to spheroteka using cultivars of Oryol selection, Breeding and cultivar breeding of horticultur al crops. 2020;7(1-2):73-79. DOI: 10.24411/2500-0454-2020 11219. (in Russ.).

9. Podgaetskiy M. A., Evdokimenko S. N. The potential of the initial forms of raspberries in breeding to increase resistance to fungal diseases, Agrarnyj vestnik Urala 2022;11 (226):58-69. DOI: 10.32417/1997-4868-2022-226-11-58-69. (in Russ.).

10. Ogoltsova T. P., Kuminov E. P. Selection of black currant. Programma i metodika selekcii plodovyh, yagodnyh i orekhop lodnyh kul’tur. Orel: VNIISPK, 1995, 314-340. (in Russ.).

11. Knyazev S. D., Levgerova N. S., Makarkina M. A., Pikunova A. V., Salina E. S., Chekalin E. I., Yanchuk T. V., Shavyrkina M. A. Black currant selection: methods, achievements, directions. Monografi ya. Orel: VNIISPK, 2016. 328 p. (in Russ.)

12. Sorokopudov V. N. Monitoring stability of species and vari eties of black currant to phytopathogens, Plodovodstvo: sbornik nauchnyh trudov. RUP «Institut plodovodstva». Minsk: RUP «Izdatel’skij dom «Belorusskaya nauka».2018;30:284-288. (in Russ.).

13. Akulenko E. G., Kan’shina M. V., Yukhacheva E. Ya., Ya govenko G. L. Sources and donors of black currant resistance to diseases and bud mites, Vestnik rossijskoj sel’skohozyajstvennoj nauki. DOI: 10.30850/vrsn/2021/4/44-47. (in Russ.).

14. Rodyukova O. S. The results of the varietal study of black currant in the conditions of the Central Forest, Sbornik nauchnyh trudov: «Sovremennoe sostoyanie kul’tur smorodiny i kryzhovni ka». Michurinsk, 2007, 149-163. (in Russ.).

15. Sazonov F. F. Breeding of Black Currant in the South-West ern Part of the Non-Black Soil Zone of Russia. Monografi ya. M.: FGBNU VSTISP, (in Russ.).

16. Astakhov A. I., Markelova N. V. Creation of complex do nors of black currant, Sadovodstvo i vinogradarstvo. 2007;2:6-8. (in Russ.)

17. Kalinina O. V., Knyzev S. D., Golyaeva O. D., Panfi lova O. V., Bakhotskaya A. Y. Estimation of black and red currant varieties of VNIISPK breeding for resistance to powdery mil dew, Plodovodstvo i yagodovodstvo Rossii. 2020;60:19-27. DOI: 10.31676/2073-4948-2020-60-19-27. (in Russ.).

18. Sazonov F. F. Model of an industrial black currant variety for Central Russia. Sadovodstvo i vinogradarstvo. 2024;4:13-20. DOI: 10.31676/0235-2591-2024-4-13-20. (in Russ.).

19. Knyazev S. D., Bayanova L. V. Currant, gooseberry and their hybrids. Programma i metodika sortoizucheniya plodovyh, ya godnyh i orekhoplodnyh kul’tur. Orel: VNIISPK, 1999, 360-361. (in Russ.).

20. Ravkin A. S. Black currant (initial material, selection, culti vars). M.: Izd-vo Mosk. un-ta, 1987, 216. (in Russ.).

21. Astakhov A. I. Breeding of fruit and berry plants using bio metric methods. Dissertaciya na soiskanie uchenoj stepeni dokto ra sel’skohozyajstvennyh nauk v vide nauchnogo doklada. Bry ansk, 1995. 55. (in Russ.).