Reaction and Performance of Some Sesame Genotypes for Resistance to Macrophomina phaseolina, the Incitant of Charcoal Rot Disease

Charcoal rot caused by Macrophomina phaseolina, is a destructive disease of sesame crop cultivated in Egypt. Eighty six sesame genotypes (Sesamum indicum L.) were used for evaluating disease resistance, in two successive summer seasons 2017 and 2018, in the field. Results obtained showed that highly significant variations were found between sesame genotypes tested in both seasons for disease infection percentage (DI %) and seed yield (SY). In season 2017, only 14 sesame lines No. 33, 3, 15, 64, 40, 63, 14, 39, 4, 16, 13, 80, 58 and 79, were classified as a moderately resistant (MR). These lines exhibited lower DI% of 13.33, 14.08, 14.44, 14.63, 15, 15.92, 16.67, 17.58, 18.33, 18.33, 18.51, 19.08, 20 and 20%, respectively. In the second season, traits of DI% and SY showed the same trend and closest means. The MR lines group, of the first season manifested the same disease reaction from first season, with one exception of the line No. 16 it was moderately susceptible with DI% increased to 25%. The combined data of DI% obtained from both seasons showed that 13, 21, 38 and 14 genotypes were MR, MS, S and HS, respectively.