This experiment was conducted aiming to study the efficiency of two inoculation methods to evaluate the resistance of common bean to Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. phaseoli. The reaction of 16 cultivars and lines tested, including resistant and suscetible patterns to the disease. In one of the methods, plants were inoculated by the soil perfuration method, which consists on the aplication of 10m<img SRC="http:/img/fbpe/cr/v32n1/a01img01.gif"> of conidia suspension around, previously wounded plants. For the other method, named root immersion, the plants obtained in washed and warmed up sand (60ºC - 30min) were extracted, washed with running water, and tipped about one centimeter from their roots, which were submersed into conidia suspension for 05 minutes. Then, plants were replanted in plastic pots with treated soil. Two inoculation procedures were performed after seven days from plant emergence. A suspension containing 1 x 10(6) conidia/m<img SRC="http:/img/fbpe/cr/v32n1/a01img01.gif"> was used in both inoculation methods. The experiment was performed in completely randomized split-plot design, with 04 replicates per treatment. Each replicate consisted of one plastic pot containing four plants. The evaluations were carried out 15, 20, 25 and 30 days after each inoculation procedure. A grading scale, proposed by CIAT, considering levels of infection ranging from 1 (highly resistant) to 9 (highly suscetible) was used. The data were converted to Mackinney disease index. The root immersion method presented better efficacy than soil perfuration method to assess commom bean resistance to Fusarium wilt, evidencing Goiano precoce, RH 3104 and IPA-9 cultivars as the most resistant genotypes, and LM 93204247, LM 93204296 and IPA-1 as the most susceptible ones.
cultivar resistance; Fusarium wilt
