GENETIC TOOLS FOR SELECTING RESISTANCE TO SHARKA DISEASE IN APRICOT

J.M. Soriano, M.L. Domigo, E. Zuriaga, C. Romero, G. Llacer, M.L. Badenes
Sharka disease, caused by the Plum pox virus (PPV), is one of the main limiting factors for stone fruit crops worldwide and causes serious damage in apricot (Prunus armeniaca L.). Since 1993 a breeding program aimed at introducing resistance to sharka is being carried out at the Instituto Valenciano de Investigaciones Agrarias (IVIA). Assessment of the resistance to sharka in the seedlings is based on a biological test that uses peach GF-305 as indicator, followed by ELISA and RT-PCR analysis of the virus presence. All together it is a long and time consuming procedure that takes at least 3 growing cycles and the bottle neck of all the apricot breeding programs is focused in sharka resistance. At IVIA an effort in terms of identification of the genetic base of the resistance to sharka has been made. Results from this effort were several high-density SSR linkage maps for the putative region comprising PPV resistance in apricot. Using these maps, along with the identification of recombinant seedlings, the support intervals for the PPV resistance was narrowed. Primers flanking the PPV resistance were designed and tested for Molecular Assisted Selection (MAS). The markers designed have been validated in a range of families from the breeding program of IVIA. Results indicated the usefulness of the marker assisted selection in the progenies segregating for sharka resistance. The mapping approach applied resulted a good tool for identification of the locus involved in the resistance and provided markers for improving the efficiency of the breeding programs via MAS.
Soriano, J.M., Domigo, M.L., Zuriaga, E., Romero, C., Llacer, G. and Badenes, M.L. (2012). GENETIC TOOLS FOR SELECTING RESISTANCE TO SHARKA DISEASE IN APRICOT. Acta Hortic. 966, 255-258
DOI: 10.17660/ActaHortic.2012.966.40
https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2012.966.40
Prunus armeniaca, PPV resistance, Marker Assisted Selection
English

Acta Horticulturae