Susceptibility of Camelina Sativa to Blackleg Disease, Leptosphaeria Maculans

Camelina (Camelina sativa) is an emerging economically important oilseed crop.  Leptosphaeria maculans, blackleg, is a disease prevalent in canola, a Brassicaceae species closely related to camelina.  Presently there is little available information about resistance to this pathogen in camelina.  Four varieties of camelina, Blaine Creek (MT1), Celine, Ligena, and Suneson (MT5) were screened for resistance to L. maculans.  The cotyledons of five day-old plants were inoculated with spore suspensions from two races of this fungal pathogen.  One resistant canola variety, HyClass 924, and one moderately resistant canola variety, Freedom, were screened as controls using the same technique.  Water-soaked lesions were observed in 100% of both resistant and moderately resistant canola lines.  Blackleg lesions were more severe in the moderately resistant canola line than in the resistant line.  In contrast, disease symptoms were not observed in any of the camelina varieties.  This data suggests C. sativa is resistant to two specific races of L. maculans that are virulent to canola.