Survey of the Bru1 gene for brown rust resistance in Brazilian local and basic sugarcane germplasm

Bru1 is currently the major gene conferring brown rust resistance in sugarcane, and diagnostic markers are available. A survey for the presence of this gene was conducted on 391 genotypes including Brazilian cultivars, clones and basic germplasm. The efficiency of these markers for identifying resistant cultivars and artificially inoculated basic germplasm was also evaluated. The Bru1 frequency among cultivars (73.5%) suggests this gene is the prevalent source of brown rust resistance in Brazilian sugarcane breeding programmes. Most of the cultivars known to be resistant were positive for Bru1, although other genes for resistance could be present in lines not having Bru1. Only 17.8% of the basic germplasm accessions were positive for the Bru1 gene, and a low correlation between Bru1 diagnostic markers and brown rust severity was observed for basic germplasm accessions. Overall, Bru1 diagnostic markers proved to be efficient identifying resistant cultivars and clones and have potential to be in screening brown rust resistance in Brazilian breeding programmes.     

Transfer of disease resistance genes from Triticum araraticum to common wheat

The wild tetraploid wheat species Tr$$ (Zhuk) Zhuk Var. araratieum is a source of pest resistance genes for T$$ aesti$$ L. Our objectives were to describe the breeding behaviour of T.arartuititm when backcrossed to common wheat and transfer resistance to leaf rust (caused by Pu$$) and powdery mildew (caused by Blumeria $$wheat. Crosses were made between five wheat genotypes and $$ accessions. Fertifity and chromosome numbers of BC$$_; plants were determined. Resistance to leaf rust was transferred toBC₂ -derived families from 10 different T’ararati$$an accessions. Leaf rust resistance genes in nine T. araratieum accessions can be assigned to at least four loci. Leaf rust resistance transferred from three accessions was inherited in the hexaploid derivatives as a single. $$ gene in each case. Resistance to powdery mildew was also detected in the T. araratie$$ backcross derivatives. Fertile hexaploid derivatives expressing T’araratieum-derived resistance genes can be recovered after two backcrosses to wheat cultivars.     

Characterization of resistance to powdery mildew (Erysiphe pisi) in a germplasm collection of Lathyrus sativus

Lathyrus sativus has a considerable potential for dry land‐farming systems but can be severely damaged by powdery mildew infection. Little is known about the availability of resistance against powdery mildew and the underlying mechanisms in the Lathyrus genus. A range of resistance reactions was identified in a collection of Iberian‐cultivated L. sativus germplasm. In most cases a compatible reaction to powdery mildew with no macroscopically visible necrosis was observed. Nevertheless, accessions with reduced disease severity despite being of a high infection type have been identified. The genes responsible for this partial resistance will be potentially useful for the development of durable resistant cultivars of Lathyrus spp., and may also be of value for the improvement of other related cultivated leguminous plants.     

QTL mapping of adult‐plant resistance to stripe rust in a ‘Lumai 21 × Jingshuang 16’ wheat population

Stripe rust, caused by Puccinia striiformis f. sp. tritici, is a devastating fungal disease in common wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) worldwide. Chinese wheat cultivars ‘Lumai 21’ and ‘Jingshuang 16’ show moderate levels of adult‐plant resistance (APR) to stripe rust in the field, and they showed a mean maximum disease severity (MDS) ranging from 24 to 56.7% and 26 to 59%, respectively, across different environments. The aim of this study was to identify quantitative trait loci (QTL) for resistance to stripe rust in an F₃ population of 199 lines derived from ‘Lumai 21’ × ‘Jingshuang 16’. The F₃ lines were evaluated for MDS in Qingshui, Gansu province, and Chengdu, Sichuan province, in the 2009–2010 and 2010–2011 cropping seasons. Five QTL for APR were detected on chromosomes 2B (2 QTL), 2DS, 4DL and 5DS based on mean MDS in each environment and averaged values from all three environments. These QTL were designated QYr.caas‐2BS.2, QYr.caas‐2BL.2, QYr.caas‐2DS.2, QYr.caas‐4DL.2 and QYr.caas‐5DS, respectively. QYr.caas‐2DS.2 and QYr.caas‐5DS were detected in all three environments, explaining 2.3–18.2% and 5.1–18.0% of the phenotypic variance, respectively. In addition, QYr.caas‐2BS.2 and QYr.caas‐2BL.2 colocated with QTL for powdery mildew resistance reported in a previous study. These APR genes and their linked molecular markers are potentially useful for improving stripe rust and powdery mildew resistances in wheat breeding.     

The resistance to leaf rust and powdery mildew of recombinant lines of barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) derived from H. vulgare × H. bulbosum crosses

A set of 23 recombinant lines (RLs) of barley ( Hordeum vulgare L.) derived from H. vulgare  ×  H. bulbosum L. crosses was inoculated with barley leaf rust ( Puccinia hordei ) and powdery mildew ( Blumeria graminis f.sp. hordei ) at the seedling stage to identify their levels and mechanisms of resistance. Eight RLs were studied further in glasshouse and field tests. All three barley parents ('Emir', 'Golden Promise' and 'Vada') were highly susceptible to powdery mildew and leaf rust isolates. Several RLs showed partial resistance expressed as high relative latency periods and low relative infection frequencies against leaf rust. This high level of partial resistance was due to a very high level of early aborting colonies without host cell necrosis. Several RLs showed hypersensitive resistance to some or all isolates. For powdery mildew, one RL was completely resistant to the CC1 isolate and had a hypersensitive resistance to the CO-02 isolate. Three RLs derived from 'Emir' were completely resistant to both powdery mildew isolates, and three more RLs tested in the field had higher levels of partial resistance than their parents. The results indicate that H. bulbosum contains major and minor gene(s) for resistance to leaf rust and powdery mildew that can be transferred to cultivated barley.     

Search for novel genes for resistance to powdery mildew (Sphaerotheca fuliginae) in cucumber (Cucumis sativus)

Summary The current powdery mildew (Sphaerotheca fuligninea) resistant cucumber varieties suffer from leaf chlorosis during autumn, winter and early spring cultivation in the Netherlands. Therefore screening was carried out for novel powdery mildew resistance genes. From 177 accessions, derived from different sources, 108 accessions proved to be partially resistant to S. fuliginea. Crosses were made with 53 resistant accessions to distinguish the presence of novel genes. It is likely that the accessions C. sativus 2145, C. sativus LV 41, PI 188807, Vladivostokij, White and Yellow 1 have one or more recessive powdery mildew resistance genes, different from powdery mildew resistance genes of the line NPI, which was used for variety breeding. Powdery mildew resistance tests with S. fuliginea give similar results in different regions of the world.Abbreviations pmr powdery mildew resistance     

Association of leaf rust and powdery mildew resistance in a recombinant derived from a Hordeum vulgare × Hordeum bulbosum hybrid

While studying powdery mildew resistance in a recombinant line (code 81882) derived from a Hordeum vulgare (cv. ‘Vada’) ×Hordeum bulbosum hybrid, a low infection type of resistance to leaf rust was observed. To determine the mode of inheritance of the leaf rust resistance and whether there was linkage between the two resistances, F₂ and F₃ progenies from crosses between 81882 and ‘Vada’ were inoculated with the leaf rust and powdery mildew pathogens. Southern blots were prepared using restricted DNA extracted from leaves of 82 F₂ plants and four chromosome 2HS sequences were hybridized with the blots to define the length of the introgression. The leaf rust resistance appears to be inherited as a single dominant gene on chromosome 2HS, which co-segregates with the powdery mildew resistance. There was an almost complete association between the resistances and the respective molecular markers, but it is likely that the strong linkage results from the frequent inheritance of the introgressed H. bulbosum DNA as an intact segment of chromatin with only low levels of recombination within the segment.     

Resistance to powdery mildew in wild emmer (Triticum dicoccoides Körn.)

Summary Wild emmer from 73 collection sites, including 107 accessions from Israel, two from Lebanon and one from Turkey, were evaluated for resistance to powdery mildew in field nurseries in Israel and the Netherlands.The wild emmer entries displayed a diversity of responses to powdery mildew infection, ranging from high resistance to complete susceptibility. Most entries were resistant in at least one of the nurseries; several entries proved to be resistant in all the tests.Comparing the reactions of 47 wild emmer accessions tested in six nurseries, 11 markedly different patterns were discerned, indicating the probable presence of several different resistance genes.Genes for resistance to powdery mildew appear to be very common in wild emmer indigenous to Israel. Resistance was found in accessions from most collection sites, in all the geographic regions represented in the collection.The common occurrence of resistance and the apparent diversity of genotypes makes wild emmer a rich gene-pool for resistance to powdery mildew. Since genes for resistance to wheat pathogens can be quite readily transferred to cultivated wheat, wild emmer may be utilized as a valuable source of powdery mildew resistance in wheat breeding.     

Screening the Spanish Barley Core Collection for disease resistance

The Spanish Barley Core Collection comprises 159 landrace-derived inbred lines and 16 cultivars adapted to Southern European conditions. The collection was screened for resistance to powdery mildew ( Blumeria graminis ), scald ( Rhynchosporium secalis ), leaf rust ( Puccinia hordei ), net blotch ( Pyrenophora teres f. teres ), Barley yellow dwarf virus (BYDV) and Barley mild mosaic virus (BaMMV). Resistance to powdery mildew was outstanding, with 58 lines presenting mean overall resistance, among them seven landrace-derived lines resistant to all seven isolates tested. About 26% of the Spanish lines were resistant to scald. Resistance to leaf rust and to net blotch was scarce, though a few accessions showed resistance levels as good as the checks. Thirteen accessions (12 Spanish) were totally resistant to BaMMV and c. 20% of accessions showed moderate tolerance to BYDV. Landrace-derived lines from the Mediterranean Coast and Southern regions of Spain were the most resistant to powdery mildew and leaf rust, but the most susceptible to viruses. Potential sources of resistance might be preserved in some accessions subjected to selective pressure in the region of origin.     

Wheat mutants showing altered adult plant disease resistance

Wheat mutants, selected on an altered resistance phenotype to Puccinia striiformis f.sp. tritici, the causal agent of yellow rust, were assessed in greenhouse tests to determine the growth stage at which the mutant phenotype was expressed and which components of yellow rust resistance were altered. Four of the mutants showed reduced levels of yellow rust infection, while three exhibited increased levels of infection. The infection characters altered were those seen after the establishment of hyphal growth, i.e. days after inoculation to sporulation, the percentage of inoculated leaf tissue producing sporulating colonies and the number of spores produced per cm² of inoculated leaf tissue. The altered resistance phenotype was developmentally regulated in all of the mutants. The changes seen in the infection characters differed for each mutant, suggesting that different genes may have been altered. An altered resistance phenotype to brown rust and/or powdery mildew was also seen for some of the yellow rust mutants. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Spectrum of resistance conferred by ML-O powdery mildew resistance genes in barley

Summary Ten barley mutants and five Ethiopian barley lines representing 11 independently arisen powdery mildew resistance genes in the ml-o locus were tested at the seedling stage to cultures of the powdery mildew fungus from Europe, Israel, USA. Canada, and Japan. They were resistant with infection type 0/(4) in all tests. They were also resistant to field populations of the pathogen when scored in disease nurseries at more than 78 locations in 29 countries in Europe, the Near East, North and South America. New Zealand, and Japan. This indicates that the 11 genes confer the same, world-wide spectrum of powdery mildew resistance. They have no effect on several other barley diseases such as stripe rust and leaf rust.Part of the research reported here was carried out under IAEA Research Agreement No 1043 and Research Contract No 139-74-1 BIO DK with the European Atomic Energy Community.     

Genetic diversity and population structure of the selected core set in Amaranthus using SSR markers

The genus Amaranthus has gained much attention, particularly for its high economic and nutritional value. It is a genus of taxonomic complexity with many interspecific hybrids. For effective conservation and management of the germplasm collected, the development of a core set of accessions is especially important. A core set of 63 accessions was successfully developed from an entire collection of 634 accessions using the powercore 1.0. Among the tested methods for developing the core set – the advanced M strategy using the modified heuristic method (HCC), randomly chosen collections and stratified random collections – HCC was found to be best, with 100% coverage of alleles and minimum redundancy. Allele frequency distribution of the core set developed with HCC was highly correlated with that of entire collections (r = 0.91). Model‐based structure analysis revealed the presence of three subpopulations and 11 admixtures in the selected core set, which is basically consistent with clustering based on the genetic distance. The results from this study will provide effective information for future germplasm conservation and improvement programmes in Amaranthus.     

Identification and chromosomal locations of novel genes for resistance to powdery mildew and stripe rust in a wheat line 101-3

Wheat powdery mildew and stripe rust, caused by Blumeria graminis f.sp.tritici (syn. Erysiphe graminis f.sp.tritici) and Puccinia striiformis Westend., respectively, are two important fungal diseases of wheat in many regions in the world that cause significant annual yield losses. In the present study, a dominant powdery mildew and a dominant stripe rust resistance gene in wheat line 101-3 which derived from the progenies of the wide cross between common wheat and Dasypyrum villosum Candary L., was located on chromosome 6B and 1B, respectively, by monosomic analyses. The two genes are different from known resistance genes on chromosome 6B for powdery mildew and 1B for stripe rusts, suggesting that the two genes might be novel resistance genes for powdery mildew and stripe rust, respectively. It is uncertain whether the two genes are allelic or lined with other resistance genes located on chromosome 6B for powdery mildew and 1B for stripe rust. Further allelism tests are necessary to determine the relationships between the resistance gene and other genes located on chromosome 6B for powdery mildew and 1B for stripe rust through molecular markers.     

Pyramiding three rust‐resistance genes confers a high level of resistance in soybean (Glycine max)

Pyramiding Asian soybean rust (ASR) resistance (Rpp) genes in a single genotype has been shown to increase ASR resistance in soybean. However, it remains unclear which combinations of Rpp genes are superior. Therefore, here, we developed six new Rpp‐pyramided lines carrying different combinations of Rpp genes and evaluated their resistance against 13 Bangladeshi rust (Phakopsora pachyrhizi) isolates (BdRPs) alongside seven previously developed Rpp‐pyramided lines. We found that lines carrying one, two and three Rpp genes had high ASR resistance without sporulation in 13.8%, 35.2% and 73.1% of the assays, respectively. Among the new lines that were developed, those with Rpp3 + Rpp4 and Rpp3 + Rpp4 + Rpp5 had high levels of ASR resistance, while the line containing Rpp2 + Rpp4 + Rpp5 showed immunity phenotype at two weeks after inoculation by the BdRP‐22 infection. Thus, pyramiding larger numbers of Rpp genes confers soybean with a higher level of resistance to ASR pathogens and can produce an immunity phenotype at two weeks after inoculation.     

豌豆抗白粉病资源筛选及分子鉴定

由豌豆白粉菌引起的白粉病是豌豆生产上的重要病害,利用抗病品种是防治该病害最经济有效的方法。本研究在控制条件下苗期接种鉴定了396份豌豆资源对2个不同地理来源的豌豆白粉病菌分离物EPBJ和EPYN的抗性,用4个与豌豆抗白粉病基因er1连锁的SCAR标记对66份免疫或抗病资源进行标记基因型鉴定。结果表明,在鉴定的396份资源中,有101份资源表现免疫或抗病,其中对分离物EPBJ和EPYN免疫的资源分别为59份(14.9%)和60份(15.2%),对2个分离物均免疫的资源有54份(13.6%);在鉴定的82份中国资源中,有8份对2个分离物均表现免疫。分子标记将66份免疫或抗病资源鉴定为13个标记基因型,同一地理来源的抗性资源分属不同的标记基因型,其中8份来自中国云南的抗性资源分属7个标记基因型。研究表明,中国存在有效的豌豆白粉病抗源,抗性资源具有丰富的遗传多样性。     

Molecular cytogenetic characterization of two partial wheat Elytrigia elongata amphiploids resistant to powdery mildew

Two new partial amphiploids SN20 and SN122, derived from crosses between Elytrigia elongata and common wheat Yannong15 and Shannongfu63, were found resistant to powdery mildew, a serious fungal wheat disease. Cytogenetic observations showed that each SN20 and SN122 plant had 56 chromosomes. The chromosomes in most pollen mother cells formed approximately 28 bivalents, thereby showing a high degree of cytogenetic stability. Genomic in situ hybridization using St‐genomic DNA from Pseudoroegneria strigosa as a probe and ABD‐genomic DNA from Chinese Spring wheat as a blocker demonstrated that the genomic formulas for the alien chromosomes in SN20 and SN122 were 2 St + 10 J^S + 2 J and 2 St + 8 J^S + 4 J, respectively. These wheat E. elongata partial amphiploids represent a potential novel source of resistance to powdery mildew for wheat breeding.     

Sexual hybridization between Capsella bursa‐pastoris (L.) Medik (♀) and Camelina sativa (L.) Crantz (♂) (Brassicaceae)

The development of transgenic oilseed Camelina sativa (2n = 40) and the potential for hybridization with its weedy relative Capsella bursa‐pastoris (2n = 36) necessitates a careful evaluation of the reproductive compatibility between the species. Here, we conducted over 1800 crosses (emasculation and manual pollination) to examine the ability of 10 Canadian C. bursa‐pastoris (♀) accessions to hybridize with five accessions of C. sativa (♂). Seven hybrids were confirmed among 586 putative hybrids screened with species‐specific markers, indicating a hybridization rate of 1.5 hybrids per 10 000 ovules pollinated. All seven hybrids had intermediate DNA content compared to their parents, were morphologically distinct, had low (1.9%) pollen fertility and failed to produce selfed or backcrossed seed. Given the abundance of C. bursa‐pastoris along field margins, hybrids will likely be generated in the wild, but they will be unable to establish lineages unless fertility is restored. The large number of crosses and the diversity captured by the use of multiple accessions resulted in strong statistical power and a high degree of confidence in the estimated hybridization rate.     

Cross‐genera amplification of informative microsatellite markers from common bean and scarlet runner bean for assessment of genetic diversity in mungbean (Vigna radiata)

Mungbean (V. radiata) is an important Asiatic legume supplying inexpensive protein to a vast majority of vegetarian masses. To increase markers repertoire in mungbean, a study was conducted to analyse 384 microsatellite markers derived from common bean, scarlet runner bean and adzuki bean for their transferability and polymorphism. The results showed that 87 (24.71%) primer pairs could amplify DNA loci of 20 mungbean genotypes including one accession of V. trilobata, while 52 showed reliable banding and polymorphism. These showed different degrees of variability at each locus producing 250 alleles with the number of alleles varying from 2 to 9. The major allele frequency varied from 0.17 to 0.95, while the polymorphic information content of SSRs ranged between 0.09 and 0.86 with an average of 0.60 ± 0.16. UPGMA revealed three major clusters accommodating ~95% of the accessions while one accession of V. trilobata (‘NSB‐007’) did not group with any other genotype describing the discriminating power of informative microsatellites. This study identified a set of useful microsatellite markers to accelerate the genetic studies and breeding programme of mungbean.     

Genetic analysis of powdery-mildew (Erysiphe graminis f.sp. hordei) resistance derived from wild barley (Hordeum vulgare ssp. spontaneum)

The inheritance of resistance to powdery mildew was investigated in 20 accessions of Hordeum spontaneum and in 20 F₄ lines derived from crosses between the variety ‘Aramir’ and 13 accessions of H. spontaneum. Two resistance genes were detected in 17 accessions, and three resistance genes in one accession. In two accessions, only one resistance gene was present. The 20 breeding lines showed a large variation in infection type and infection level. The genetic relationship between the resistance genes detected was investigated in the seven most resistant F₄ lines. These F₄ lines were divided into three groups which carried different resistance genes. In two lines, the detected resistance gene was shown to be race-specific.     

The exploration of genetic resources of Portuguese cabbage and kale for resistance to several Brassica diseases

Summary Twenty three accessions of nine Portuguese cabbage and kale land races from different geographic origins were tested at the seedling stage for resistance to several important brassica diseases. Resistance to downy mildew (Peronospora parasitica), expressed as necrosis of the cotyledon mesophyll, was found in all the accessions. Type A resistance to cabbage yellows (Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. conglutinans race 1) was present in most of the landraces. Resistance to clubroot (Plasmodiophora brassicae race 6) was found in one accession of the Portuguese tree kale. High resistance to blackleg (Leptosphaeria maculans) and white rust (Albuco candida) was not detected, although several accessions showed 20 to 30% of plants with intermediate expression of resistance. All Portuguese cole accessions were susceptible to blackrot (Xanthomonas campestris pv. campestris).