A single dominant gene for downy mildew resistance in broccoli

Abstract

Downy mildew, incited by Peronospora parasitica (Pers.: Fr.) Fr., is a destructive disease of broccoli (Brassica oleraceaL., Italica Group). Resistant cultivars represent a desirable control method to provide a practical, environmentally benign, and long-term means of limiting damage from this disease. Doubled-haploid (DH) lines developed by us exhibit a high level of downy mildew resistance at the cotyledon stage. To determine the mode of inheritance for this resistance, a resistant DH line was crossed to a susceptible DH line to make an F1, from which F2 and backcross (BC) populations were developed. All populations were evaluated for response to artificial inoculation with P. parasitica at the cotyledon stage. All F1 plants (including reciprocals) were as resistant as the resistant parent, indicating no maternal effect for this trait. F2 populations segregated approximately 3resistant to 1 susceptible, BC populations using the resistant parent as the recurrent parent contained all resistant plants, and the BC to the susceptible parent segregated 1 resistant to 1 susceptible. These results indicate that resistance is controlled by a single dominant gene. This gene should be easily incorporated into F1 hybrids and used commercially to prevent downy mildew at the cotyledon stage.