Skip to main content
ARS Home » Midwest Area » West Lafayette, Indiana » Crop Production and Pest Control Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #231316
Title: Development of a genetic linkage map of Mycosphaerella fijiensis, the causal agent of black leaf streak disease in bananas (Musa spp.) using SSR and DArT markers

Author
item FERREIRA, C - PLANT RES. INT. NETHE
item VAN DER LEE, T.A.J. - PLANT RES. INT. NETHER
item ZAPATER, M - PLANT RES. INT. NETHER
item CARLIER, J - PLANT RES. INT. NETHER
item Goodwin, Stephen - Steve
item SOUZA, JR., M - PLANT RES. INT. NETHER
item KEMA, G.H.J. - PLANT RES. INT. NETHER

Submitted to: Symposium Proceedings
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 7/26/2008
Publication Date: 8/18/2008
Citation: Ferreira, C.F., Van Der Lee, T., Zapater, M.F., Carlier, J., Goodwin, S.B., Souza, Jr., M.T., Kema, G. 2008. Development of a genetic linkage map of Mycosphaerella fijiensis, the causal agent of black leaf streak disease in bananas (Musa spp.) using SSR and DArT markers. Symposium Proceedings. Available: http://www.path.ethz.ch/news/conferences/Mycosphaerella_Ascona_2007/008_abs.pdf

Interpretive Summary: Mycosphaerella fijiensis is the causal agent of black leaf streak (BLS) disease in bananas. This pathogen threatens global banana production as the main export cultivars are highly susceptible. As a consequence, commercial banana plantations must be protected chemically with fungicides; up to 40 applications are per year representing >40% of total production costs. Ascospores are the major drivers of BLS epidemics and M. fijiensis is currently still colonizing new banana-growing areas, which has a huge economic impact on banana producers. The frequent fungicide applications exert a strong selection pressure on M. fijiensis populations resulting in abrupt resistance development to strobilurins and a gradual increase of resistance to azole fungicides. To provide the community with necessary genetic tools we developed a genetic linkage map of M. fijiensis. One-hundred and thirty-six F1 individuals from the CIRAD086 (Cameroon, Mat1-1) x CIRAD 139A (Colombia, Mat1-2) cross were evaluated. Eighty-seven Simple-Sequence Repeat (SSR) markers, 3 Variable Number of Tandem Repeat (VNTR) markers, the mating type locus and 235 Diversity Arrays Technology (DArT) markers were positioned in 19 linkage groups covering 1417 cM of the genome. The arrays containing individual fragments of the M. fijiensis genome generated DArT markers with a 90% genotype call rate and 98.8% reliability score. In total, 87% of the markers could be positioned reliably with LOD scores <10. The map is the first high-quality genetic linkage map of M. fijiensis with SSR and Dart markers. Due to its excellent genome coverage we decided to sequence the DArT markers to align this genetic map with the genome sequence of CIRAD086, which will considerably assist the genome assembly of this important fungus.

Technical Abstract: Mycosphaerella fijiensis is the causal agent of black leaf streak (BLS) disease in bananas. This pathogen threatens global banana production as the main export cultivars are highly susceptible. As a consequence, commercial banana plantations must be protected chemically with fungicides; up to 40 applications are per year representing >40% of total production costs. Ascospores are the major drivers of BLS epidemics and M. fijiensis is currently still colonizing new banana-growing areas, which has a huge economic impact on banana producers. The frequent fungicide applications exert a strong selection pressure on M. fijiensis populations resulting in abrupt resistance development to strobilurins and a gradual increase of resistance to azole fungicides. To provide the community with necessary genetic tools we developed a genetic linkage map of M. fijiensis. One-hundred and thirty-six F1 individuals from the CIRAD086 (Cameroon, Mat1-1) x CIRAD 139A (Colombia, Mat1-2) cross were evaluated. Eighty-seven Simple-Sequence Repeat (SSR) markers, 3 Variable Number of Tandem Repeat (VNTR) markers, the mating type locus and 235 Diversity Arrays Technology (DArT) markers were positioned in 19 linkage groups covering 1417 cM of the genome. The arrays containing individual fragments of the M. fijiensis genome generated DArT markers with a 90% genotype call rate and 98.8% reliability score. In total, 87% of the markers could be positioned reliably with LOD scores <10. The map is the first high-quality genetic linkage map of M. fijiensis with SSR and Dart markers. Due to its excellent genome coverage we decided to sequence the DArT markers to align this genetic map with the genome sequence of CIRAD086, which will considerably assist the genome assembly of this important fungus.