QTL mapping of resistance to Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. niveum race 2 and Papaya ringspot virus in Citrullus amarus.

KEY MESSAGE: A Citrullus amarus mapping population segregating for resistance to Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. niveum race 2 and Papaya ringspot virus was used to identify novel QTL, important for the improvement in watermelon disease resistance. Multiple disease screens of the USDA Citrullus spp. germplasm collection have highlighted the value of Citrullus amarus (citron melon or wild watermelon) as a resource for enhancing modern watermelon cultivars (Citrullus lanatus) with resistance to a broad range of fungal, bacterial and viral diseases of watermelon. We have generated a genetic population of C. amarus segregating for resistance to two important watermelon diseases: Fusarium wilt (caused by the fungus Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. niveum; Fon race 2) and Papaya ringspot virus-watermelon strain (PRSV-W). QTL mapping of Fon race 2 resistance identified seven significant QTLs, with the major QTL representing a novel genetic source of resistance and an opportunity for gene pyramiding. A single QTL was associated with resistance to PRSV-W, which adhered to expectations of a prior study indicating a single-gene recessive inheritance in watermelon. The resistance loci identified here provide valuable genetic resources for introgression into cultivated watermelon for the improvement in disease resistance.

Resistance to Bacterial Canker in Tomato (Lycopersicon hirsutum LA407) and its Progeny Derived from Crosses to L. esculentum.

Bacterial canker caused by Clavibacter michiganensis subsp. michiganensis causes significant yield losses on tomatoes grown in a humid environment. This study was conducted to identify a source of resistance that could be easily crossed to cultivated tomato and to study the inheritance of resistance. Diverse bacterial strains representative of the major DNA fingerprint classes endemic to North America were used to screen germ plasm and populations derived from wide crosses. Partial resistance to genetically characterized and distinct strains of C. michiganensis subsp. michiganensis was identified in a wild relative of cultivated tomato, Lycopersicon hirsutum Lycopersicon accession (LA)407. The level of resistance in LA407 was not significantly different from that of the resistant L. peruvianum control, LA2157. Resistance from LA407 was recovered in lines from a BC2S4 inbred backcross (IBC) population in both greenhouse and field trials. Linear correlations between field and greenhouse resistance scores were significant, though correlation coefficients tended to be low. Variance components for genetic and environmental variation in resistance were used to estimate broad-sense heritability in the IBC population. These estimates were moderate to high, ranging from 0.34 to 0.85. The number of genes contributing to resistance was estimated from four trials, with most estimates falling in the range of one to three loci. Two lines from the IBC population, IBL 2353 and IBL 2361, were identified as sources that retain resistance in a genetic background that has a theoretical L. esculentum genome content of 87.5%.

A QTL controlling stem morphology and vascular development in Lycopersicon esculentumxLycopersicon hirsutum (Solanaceae) crosses is located on chromosome 2.

The vascular tissue of higher plants is organized into a continuous and unified system that undergoes a transition between two highly differentiated structures, the root and the shoot. This transition was studied in tomato by investigating the genetic basis of morphological variation between Lycopersicon esculentum and L. hirsutum LA407. Our analysis concentrated on morphology in stem cross sections, and we detected heritable genetic differences in an inbred backcross population having L. esculentum as the recurrent parent and LA407 as the donor parent. Inbred backcross line (IBL) 2353 contained a donor segment from chromosome 2 and retained features of the LA407 stem vascular morphology. Marker-trait analysis of vascular structure in a cross between IBL 2353 and L. esculentum showed significant (0.0001 ≤ P ≤ 0.0375) associations between markers on chromosome 2 and the size of primary vascular bundles, the shape of the vascular system, and the thickness of the secondary vascular tissue. Families with LA407 DNA for the markers on chromosome 2 had larger primary vascular bundles, more developed secondary vascular tissue, and a triangular vascular shape. These results suggest that the distal portion of chromosome 2 in LA407 contains a locus or loci affecting vascular morphology and development.