Evaluation location: Washington, United States
The straw test described by Petzoldt and Dickson (1996) was used to screen accessions for reaction to white mold in a Prosser, Washington greenhouse environment maintained at 20 to 28 degrees C and a 14- to 16 hour day length. Each plant represented a replicate and the replications were completely randomized. Inoculation took place 28 days after planting. Plants were watered and fertilized for normal growth. The growing tip of the main stem of a single plant, sown in a 10 to 15 cm diameter pot containing a soil less potting mix (Sunshine No. 1) was removed and a plastic straw containing an agar plug of growing mycelium of the pathogen was fitted over the cut stem. Eight days after inoculation, the white mold reaction was scored from 1-9 (1= no symptom to 9=collapsed plant)