QTL-seq and marker development for resistance to Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. niveum race 1 in cultivated watermelon

• Published in: Molecular breeding Vol. 38; no. 11; pp. 1 - 9
• Main Authors: Branham, Sandra E., Patrick Wechter, W., Lambel, Shaunese, Massey, Laura, Ma, Michelle, Fauve, Julie, Farnham, Mark W., Levi, Amnon
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Dordrecht Springer Netherlands 01.11.2018; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Biomedical and Life Sciences; Biotechnology; Breeding; Citrullus; Citrullus lanatus; Cultivars; Fungi; Fusarium; Fusarium oxysporum; Gene mapping; Genotyping; Germplasm; Life Sciences; Mapping; Markers; Molecular biology; Plant biology; Plant Genetics and Genomics; Plant Pathology; Plant Physiology; Plant Sciences; Quantitative trait loci; Water melons; Wilt; KASP; Disease resistance; Resequencing; Fusarium wilt; Watermelon; QTL-seq
• ISSN: 1380-3743; 1572-9788
• DOI: 10.1007/s11032-018-0896-9

Fusarium wilt, caused by the fungus Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. niveum ( Fon ), is one of the predominant diseases of watermelon. Resistance to Fon race 1 is conferred by a single major quantitative trait locus (QTL), Fo - 1 . 1 , but resolution of this region has been poor due to low marker density. In this study, a combination of whole genome resequencing of bulked segregants (QTL-seq analysis) followed by QTL mapping with kompetitive allele specific PCR (KASP) markers developed across Fo - 1 . 1 successfully increased the resolution from 2.03 to 1.56 Mb and 315 kb, respectively. The linkage of the KASP markers to Fon race 1 resistance across a wide range of watermelon germplasm was validated in a set of elite watermelon cultivars. The linked markers described here provide a breeder-friendly toolkit immediately available for high-throughput genotyping in large-scale breeding programs for fine mapping and incorporation of Fon race 1 resistance in watermelon.