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ARS Home » Pacific West Area » Pullman, Washington » Grain Legume Genetics Physiology Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #290959
Title: Resistance to Fusarium wilt in chickpea

Author
item Chen, Weidong
item CASTRO, PATRICIA - Research And Training Institute For Agricultural And Fisheries Of Andalusia, Ifapa
item COBOS, M. JOSE - Spanish National Research Council

Submitted to: Legume Perspectives
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 5/15/2013
Publication Date: 6/1/2014
Citation: Chen, W., Castro, P., Cobos, M. 2014. Resistance to Fusarium wilt in chickpea. Grain Legumes. 3:23-24.

Interpretive Summary: Fusarium wilt of chickpea is a destructive disease and is distributed in almost all chickpea producing regions of the world. The disease is caused by the soilborne fungal pathogen Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. ciceris (Foc). The soilborne nature and longevity of the pathogen makes management of this disease difficult. The pathogen invades and multiplies in vascular bundles of chickpea roots, plugs vascular bundles, and reduces water uptake inducing wilting symptoms. Foc has eight physiological races designated as 0, 1A, 1B/C, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6, which are differentiated based on their ability to incite specific reactions of a set of chickpea differentials, and they cause two types of symptoms – yellowing syndrome and wilting syndrome. The wilting syndrome is more destructive and economically more important than the yellowing syndrome. Using resistance is the most economical and practical means to manage Fusarium wilt of chickpea. Resistance genes have been identified for the Foc races, and the genetic control is usually monogenic or oligogenic and recessive in nature. In breeding chickpea for resistance to Foc, the selection process through traditional pathogenicity assays is tedious, time-consuming and subject to environmental variations. Consequently molecular markers closely linked to the resistance genes are highly desirable. Tremendous research progress has been made in developing and mapping molecular markers for resistance genes. Resistance genes to races 0, 1A, 2, 3, 4 and 5 have been identified on linkage group 2, and molecular markers closely linked to these resistance genes have been developed. Many of these markers have become available for practical use in marker-assisted selection. Recent advances in developing near-isogenic lines (NILs) will allow construction of higher density maps of this LG2 region. NILs are valuable resources for identifying functional resistance genes and studying mechanisms of chickpea resistance to Fusarium wilt. Development of specific gene markers will allow pyramiding of resistance genes to develop new chickpea cultivars with durable resistance.

Technical Abstract: Fusarium wilt of chickpea, caused by the fungal pathogen Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. ciceris (Foc), is a destructive disease and is distributed in almost all chickpea producing regions of the world. Foc has eight physiological races designated as 0, 1A, 1B/C, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6. The races are differentiated based on their ability to incite specific reactions of a set of chickpea differentials, and they cause two types of symptoms – yellowing syndrome caused by races 0, and 1B/C, and wilting syndrome caused by races 1A, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6. The wilting syndrome is more destructive and economically more important than the yellowing syndrome. Using resistance is the most economical and practical means to manage Fusarium wilt of chickpea. Resistance genes have been identified for the Foc races, and the genetic control is usually monogenic or oligogenic and recessive in nature. In breeding chickpea for resistance, the selection process for Fusarium wilt resistance through traditional pathogenicity assays is tedious, time-consuming and subject to environmental variations. Consequently molecular markers closely linked to the resistance genes are highly desirable. Tremendous research progress has been made in developing and mapping molecular markers for the resistance genes. Molecular markers closely linked to resistance genes to races 0, 1A, 2, 3, 4 and 5 have been identified and mapped onto the chickpea genetic linkage maps. Many of these markers have become available for practical use in marker-assisted selection. The recent advancement in developing near isogenic lines segregating for Fusarium wilt resistance will not only allow studying mechanisms of resistance, but also development of molecular markers for specific genes, which will make it possible to develop new chickpea cultivars with durable resistance.