Resistance of Tunisian Melon Landraces to <i>Podosphaera xanthii</i>
Powdery mildew caused by <i>Podosphaera xanthii</i> is among the most threatening fungal diseases affecting melons on the Mediterranean coast. Although the use of genetic resistance is a highly recommended alternative to control this pathogen, many races of this fungus have been describe...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-12-01
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| Series: | Horticulturae |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2311-7524/8/12/1172 |
| _version_ | 1797457386326196224 |
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| author | Hela Chikh-Rouhou Ana Garcés-Claver Lydia Kienbaum Abdelmonem Ben Belgacem Maria Luisa Gómez-Guillamón |
| author_facet | Hela Chikh-Rouhou Ana Garcés-Claver Lydia Kienbaum Abdelmonem Ben Belgacem Maria Luisa Gómez-Guillamón |
| author_sort | Hela Chikh-Rouhou |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Powdery mildew caused by <i>Podosphaera xanthii</i> is among the most threatening fungal diseases affecting melons on the Mediterranean coast. Although the use of genetic resistance is a highly recommended alternative to control this pathogen, many races of this fungus have been described and, therefore, resistance is usually overcome; thus, breeding for resistance to this pathogen is a challenge. Several melon genotypes carrying resistance to powdery mildew have been described but their agronomical and fruit characters are usually far away from the required melon types in many commercial markets. Taking this into consideration, looking for novel sources of resistance in Tunisian landraces is a very convenient step to obtain new resistant melon varieties/hybrids suitable for Mediterranean markets. Several Tunisian melon landraces have been tested against three common races in Mediterranean regions (Race 2, Race 3.5, and Race 5), using phenotypic approaches in two independent experiments (artificial inoculations in a growth chamber and natural conditions of infection in a greenhouse). The results of the artificial inoculations showed that all the tested landraces were susceptible to Race 3.5 and Race 5 and several landraces were resistant to Race 2. Under natural conditions of infection, Race 2 of <i>P. xanthii</i> was the race prevalent in the plot and the resistance of TUN-16, TUN-19, and TUN-25 was confirmed. The found resistances were race-specific and underlie a high genetic influence reflected in the high value of the estimated heritability of 0.86. These resistant landraces should be considered as a potential source of resistance in breeding programs of melons belonging to inodorus and reticulatus groups, but further research is necessary to elucidate the genetic control of the found resistances and to provide useful molecular markers linked to <i>P. xanthii</i> Race 2 resistance. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T16:21:25Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-192068a0407142129bdd95b5bf1dace0 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2311-7524 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T16:21:25Z |
| publishDate | 2022-12-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Horticulturae |
| spelling | doaj.art-192068a0407142129bdd95b5bf1dace02023-11-24T15:15:52ZengMDPI AGHorticulturae2311-75242022-12-01812117210.3390/horticulturae8121172Resistance of Tunisian Melon Landraces to <i>Podosphaera xanthii</i>Hela Chikh-Rouhou0Ana Garcés-Claver1Lydia Kienbaum2Abdelmonem Ben Belgacem3Maria Luisa Gómez-Guillamón4Regional Research Centre on Horticulture and Organic Agriculture (CRRHAB) BP 57, Chott-Mariem LR21AGR03-Production and Protection for a Sustainable Horticulture, University of Sousse, Sousse 4042, TunisiaDepartment of Plant Science, Agrifood Research and Technology Centre of Aragon (CITA) Avda. Montañana 930, 50059 Zaragoza, SpainInstitute of Plant Breeding, Seed Science and Population Genetics, University of Hohenheim, 70599 Stuttgart, GermanyRegional Research Centre on Horticulture and Organic Agriculture (CRRHAB) BP 57, Chott-Mariem LR21AGR03-Production and Protection for a Sustainable Horticulture, University of Sousse, Sousse 4042, TunisiaInstituto de Hortofruticultura Subtropical y Mediterranea-La Mayora, CSIC-UMA, Avda, Dr. Wienberg s/n., Algarrobo, 29750 Malaga, SpainPowdery mildew caused by <i>Podosphaera xanthii</i> is among the most threatening fungal diseases affecting melons on the Mediterranean coast. Although the use of genetic resistance is a highly recommended alternative to control this pathogen, many races of this fungus have been described and, therefore, resistance is usually overcome; thus, breeding for resistance to this pathogen is a challenge. Several melon genotypes carrying resistance to powdery mildew have been described but their agronomical and fruit characters are usually far away from the required melon types in many commercial markets. Taking this into consideration, looking for novel sources of resistance in Tunisian landraces is a very convenient step to obtain new resistant melon varieties/hybrids suitable for Mediterranean markets. Several Tunisian melon landraces have been tested against three common races in Mediterranean regions (Race 2, Race 3.5, and Race 5), using phenotypic approaches in two independent experiments (artificial inoculations in a growth chamber and natural conditions of infection in a greenhouse). The results of the artificial inoculations showed that all the tested landraces were susceptible to Race 3.5 and Race 5 and several landraces were resistant to Race 2. Under natural conditions of infection, Race 2 of <i>P. xanthii</i> was the race prevalent in the plot and the resistance of TUN-16, TUN-19, and TUN-25 was confirmed. The found resistances were race-specific and underlie a high genetic influence reflected in the high value of the estimated heritability of 0.86. These resistant landraces should be considered as a potential source of resistance in breeding programs of melons belonging to inodorus and reticulatus groups, but further research is necessary to elucidate the genetic control of the found resistances and to provide useful molecular markers linked to <i>P. xanthii</i> Race 2 resistance.https://www.mdpi.com/2311-7524/8/12/1172powdery mildewphenotypic evaluationheritability |
| spellingShingle | Hela Chikh-Rouhou Ana Garcés-Claver Lydia Kienbaum Abdelmonem Ben Belgacem Maria Luisa Gómez-Guillamón Resistance of Tunisian Melon Landraces to <i>Podosphaera xanthii</i> Horticulturae powdery mildew phenotypic evaluation heritability |
| title | Resistance of Tunisian Melon Landraces to <i>Podosphaera xanthii</i> |
| title_full | Resistance of Tunisian Melon Landraces to <i>Podosphaera xanthii</i> |
| title_fullStr | Resistance of Tunisian Melon Landraces to <i>Podosphaera xanthii</i> |
| title_full_unstemmed | Resistance of Tunisian Melon Landraces to <i>Podosphaera xanthii</i> |
| title_short | Resistance of Tunisian Melon Landraces to <i>Podosphaera xanthii</i> |
| title_sort | resistance of tunisian melon landraces to i podosphaera xanthii i |
| topic | powdery mildew phenotypic evaluation heritability |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2311-7524/8/12/1172 |
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