Identification and genetic mapping of PmAF7DS a powdery mildew resistance gene in bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.).

KEY MESSAGE: Gene PmAF7DS confers resistance to wheat powdery mildew (isolate Bgt#211 ); it was mapped to a 14.6-cM interval ( Xgwm350 a- Xbarc184 ) on chromosome 7DS. The flanking markers could be applied in MAS breeding. Wheat powdery mildew (Pm) is caused by the biotrophic pathogen Blumeria graminis tritici (DC.) (Bgt). An ongoing threat of breakdown of race-specific resistance to Pm requires a continuous effort to discover new alleles in the wheat gene pool. Developing new cultivars with improved disease resistance is an economically and environmentally safe approach to reduce yield losses. To identify and characterize genes for resistance against Pm in bread wheat we used the (Arina × Forno) RILs population. Initially, the two parental lines were screened with a collection of 61 isolates of Bgt from Israel. Three Pm isolates Bgt#210 , Bgt#211 and Bgt#213 showed differential reactions in the parents: Arina was resistant (IT = 0), whereas Forno was moderately susceptible (IT = -3). Isolate Bgt#211 was then used to inoculate the RIL population. The segregation pattern of plant reactions among the RILs indicates that a single dominant gene controls the conferred resistance. A genetic map of the region containing this gene was assembled with DNA markers and assigned to the 7D physical bin map. The gene, temporarily designated PmAF7DS, was located in the distal region of chromosome arm 7DS. The RILs were also inoculated with Bgt#210 and Bgt#213. The plant reactions to these isolates showed high identity with the reaction to Bgt#211, indicating the involvement of the same gene or closely linked, but distinct single genes. The genomic location of PmAF7DS, in light of other Pm genes on 7DS is discussed.