EVALUATION OF SOME ASSAYS TECHNIQUES FOR DETERMINATION OF SUSCEPTIBILITY OF GARLIC CULTIVARS TO THE PINK ROOT DISEASE

Biological and physiological assays have been used to evaluate garlic cultivars for their resistance to the pink root disease. Biological methods using artificial media amended with Pyrenochaeta terrestris and/or its toxins or using soil infested with the pathogen P. terrestris were tested to evaluate the resistance of seedlings of various garlic cultivars against the pink root disease. Results showed that the assay using the fungus-free Pyrenochaeta toxins was more reliable than using the fungus itself, in which determination of the disease resistance of garlic seedlings was possible in 7 days without the problems of contaminations. Physiological assays indicated that histones and RNA contents in garlic plants play a role in their resistance to the pink root disease.