Eight breeding lines, three parents, and the cultivar Florunner were compared under two levels of disease pressure induced by Sclerotium rolfsii Sacc., or Pythium myriotylum Drechs. at each of two locations for three years to ascertain the effectiveness of the host plant resistance to each pathogen. Varied disease pressures were created by application of fungicides and supplement of fungal inoculum.

Mean Florunner pod yields varied more than 1000 kg/ha as a result of the S. rolfsii treatments but the yields of the resistant TxAG-3 were not affected. Disease incidence, as measured by frequency of S. rolfsii infection sites and diseased pods, was much higher for Florunner than TxAG-3. Breeding lines for which TxAG-3 was a parent sustained significant yield reductions. The disease incidence in these lines was higher than the resistant parent, equal or less than Tamnut 74, their other parent, and less than Florunner. The grades of TxAG-3 and its derivatives were lower than Florunner.

Pod rot incidence differed for the P. myriotylum treatments but pod yields were not different. TxAG-3 and Toalson sustained less pod disease than Florunner and Tamnut 74. The percent of diseased pod tissue for one derivative of Toalson was lower than Toalson and TxAG-3, and that of one TxAG-3 derivative was equal to its best parent. The breeding lines varied in reaction to the two diseases and some lines showed considerable resistance to both organisms.