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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Charleston, South Carolina » Vegetable Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #78892
Title: DEVELOPMENT OF SEQUENCE SPECIFIC PRIMERS WHICH AMPLIFY A 1.5KB DNA MARKER FOR RACE 1 FUSARIUM WILT RESISTANCE IN CUCUMIS MELO L.

Author
item WECHTER, W. - CLEMSON UNIVERSITY
item Thomas, Claude
item DEAN, RALPH - CLEMSON UNIVERSITY

Submitted to: HortScience
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/5/1998
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary: Fusarium wilt is a fungus disease that attacks melons worldwide. The best way to control this disease is by breeding resistant melon varieties. Identifying resistant plants in a breeding program is a very time-consuming, labor-intensive process, which is subject to error due to environmental conditions and often results in destruction of the plants. This research has identified a DNA based marker than can be used to accurately and nondestructively identify resistant plants. Use of this marker should improve the efficiency of breeding programs to develop Fusarium wilt resistant melon varieties.

Technical Abstract: The authors previously reported a RAPD marker in multi-disease resistant melon breeding line MR-1 that is linked to the Fom 2 Fusarium wilt resistance gene which confers resistance against races 0 and 1 of Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. melonis. Primer 596, sequence 5' CCCCTCGAAT 3', produces a 1.6 kb DNA fragment which co-segregates with resistance. The entire 1.6kb fragment has now been restriction mapped and sequenced. Utilizing these data, two sequence specific 24-mer primers were designed to produce a sequence characterized amplification region (SCAR). The SCAR fragment linked to resistance against Fusarium wilt race 1 was found in DNA from bulked samples of all resistant melon lines tested as well as from individual resistant plants from crosses of susceptible x resistant parents, but was absent in susceptible lines and plants. This SCAR has high potential value in a marker assisted breeding program to develop Fusarium wilt race 1 resistant melon cultivars.