A new method to validate and compare varietal resistance and yield tolerance of sugar beet (Beta vulgaris) against the beet cyst nematode, Heterodera schachtii Schmidt

摘要: BACKGROUND Beet cyst nematode, Heterodera schachtii Schmidt is a global threat to sugar beet crops, and is found in every major sugar beet growing region. Annual losses due to this nematode can be severe, being estimated at €90 m in Europe alone in the 1990s. Fortunately tolerant, resistant and partially resistant varieties have since been introduced which help to limit yield loss and are now widely being deployed in infested fields. However, understanding yield performance of these varieties has been difficult, especially when variety testing programmes usually require uninfested fields. RESULTS For the first time, and in a standardised manner, we can now assess simultaneously the resistance of different varieties to BCN and their actual yield tolerance, by comparing them to varieties grown in uninfested micro‐plots alongside those which are infested. This method provides new insights on variety yield …