Breeding of cabbage (Brassica oleracea L. var. capitata) with fusarium wilt resistance based on microspore culture and marker-assisted selection

Abstract

Cabbage Fusarium wilt (CFW), caused by Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. conglutinans, is one of the most devastating diseases of cabbage worldwide. In recent years, CFW has been spreading across northern Chinad. Thus, development of resistant cultivars is necessary to control CFW. Here we report microspore culture from a cross of two elite cabbage inbred lines, 96–100 (highly resistant to CFW) and 01–20 (highly susceptible to CFW), in order to obtain doubled haploids (DHs) to cultivate cabbage materials for resistance breeding. A total of 196 DHs were obtained in 2011 and 2012 and three elite DH lines were selected from them through agronomic trait evaluation as well as marker-assisted selection. These three elite DH lines were crossed with elite cabbage inbred lines to create hybrids, which were then evaluated for their resistance and agronomic traits. Three excellent hybrids were selected. The use of microspore culture and marker-assisted selection greatly shortened the time required to obtain these excellent hybrids. These resistant varieties may become an effective control of CFW in diseased areas.