Abstract
Growing virus resistant varieties is a highly effective means to avoid yield loss due to infection by many types of virus. The challenge is to be able to detect resistance donors within plant species diversity and then quickly introduce alleles conferring resistance into elite genetic backgrounds. Until now, mainly monogenic forms of resistance with major effects have been introduced in crops. Polygenic resistance is harder to map and introduce in susceptible genetic backgrounds, but it is likely more durable. Genome wide association studies (GWAS) offer an opportunity to accelerate mapping of both monogenic and polygenic resistance, but have seldom been implemented and described in the plant–virus interaction context. Yet, all of the 48 plant–virus GWAS published so far have successfully mapped QTLs involved in plant virus resistance. In this review, we analyzed general and specific GWAS issues regarding plant virus resistance. We have identified and described several key steps throughout the GWAS pipeline, from diversity panel assembly to GWAS result analyses. Based on the 48 published articles, we analyzed the impact of each key step on the GWAS power and showcase several GWAS methods tailored to all types of viruses.
Highlights
Virus diseases are a major threat to crops
quantitative trait loci (QTL) effects were mainly documented with an adjusted R2 in plant–virus Genome wide association studies (GWAS), but without indicating the model used for this calculation
Most plant–virus GWAS were able to re-map previously known QTLs, showcasing the efficiency of GWAS mapping in the plant virus resistance context
Summary
Virus diseases are a major threat to crops. Plant infection by most virus species occurs through vectors. The cheapest method for farmers to avoid virus-induced crop yield loss is to grow resistant cultivars. This is more ecofriendly than conducting chemical treatments while being well adapted to a range of viruses [5,6]. Genes conferring virus resistance may be introduced in plant cultivars by bio-engineering or conventional breeding. The challenge for plant breeders is to be able to detect resistance in donors in a species diversity panel and to use them to introduce the genes conferring resistance into elite but susceptible backgrounds. Once resistance genes have been successfully introduced in elite cultivars, breeders may have to cope with the arms race between their cultivars and highly mutagenic viruses, thereby reducing the time between resistance introduction and viral overcome. The challenge is to be able to rapidly create resistant cultivars based on available genetic information, with regard to complex and/or multiple resistance
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