Development of an Efficient Bioassay Method for Testing Resistance to Bacterial Soft Rot of Chinese Cabbage

Pectobacterium carotovorum subsp. carotovorum (Pcc) causes bacterial soft rot on a wide range of crops worldwide, especially in countries with warm and humid climates. This study was conducted to establish an efficient screening method for resistant cultivars of Chinese cabbage to bacterial soft rot. Resistance degrees of 65 commercial Chinese cabbage cultivars to the Pcc KACC 10225 isolate were investigated. For further study, three Chinse cabbage cultivars (Taebong, Hadaejangkun, CR Alchan) showing different level of resistance to the bacterium were selected. The development of bacterial soft rot on the cultivars was tested according to several conditions such as growth stage of Chinse cabbage seedling, inoculum concentration, and incubation temperature after inoculation. On the basis of the results, we suggest that an efficient screening method for resistant Chinses cabbage to Pcc is to inoculate twenty one-day-old seedlings with a bacterial suspension of Pcc at a concentration of 1×107 cfu/ml, and to incubate the plants in a dew chamber at 25°C for 24 hr and then to cultivate in a growth room at 25°C and 80% relative humidity with 12-hr light per day.