Rapid Screening and Evaluation of Maize Seedling Resistance to Stalk Rot Caused by Fusarium spp.

Corn stalk rot caused by Fusarium spp., a genus of soil-borne fungal pathogens, has become a major concern of maize production. This disease normally causes significant reduction of maize yield and quality worldwide. The field assay for identifying stalk rot resistance using adult plants is largely relying on large population, yet time-consuming, labor costs, and often influenced by environmental conditions. Therefore, a rapid and reliable assay for investigating maize stalk rot caused by Fusarium spp. is required for screening the resistant lines and functional study of maize resistance to this pathogen. We have developed a seedling assay to rapidly screen the resistant lines using 12-day to 2-week-old seedlings. The entire assay can be completed within approximately 16-18 days post seed germination, with inexpensive labor cost and high repeatability. This simple, rapid and reliable assay can be widely used for identifying the maize resistance to stalk rot caused by Fusarium spp. and other similar fungal pathogens.