Measuring the sterol content of barley leaves infected with powdery mildew as a means of assessing partial resistance to Erysiphe graminis f.sp. hordei

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Abstract
Barley leaf segments of several partially resistant cultivars were inoculated with different strains and combinations of strains of Erysiphe graminis. Infection level was assessed by counting colony number, by measuring sporulating area using an image analyser, and by extracting and quantifying sterols. Good correlations were obtained between data from all three methods. One cultivar contained less sterol than expected from the number of colonies present but some of the resistance in that cultivar was known to be due to reduced colony size. Image analysis was unable to discern the reduced colony size component of resistance. Scanning electron microscopy revealed that single colonies may originate from more than one conidial infection. Sterol analysis was the most representative method of comparing the reaction of diverse host genotypes to mildew infection.