Genes and Loci Controlling the Resistance of Strawberry (F. ananassa Duch.) to Pathogens

Abstract

Strawberry (F. ànanassa) is one of the most popular and widespread berry crops in the world. Strawberry diseases are the main limiting factor that seriously affects the yield of plants and leads to economic losses. Most strawberry cultivars are very sensitive to pathogenic fungi and bacteria, such as Colletotrichum acutatum (anthracnose root), Colletotrichum gloeosporioides (crown rot), Fusarium oxysporum fragariae (fusarium wilt), Phytophthora fragariae (red stele root rot), Verticillium dahlia (verticillium wilt), Botrytis cinerea (grey mould) and Xanthomonas fragariae (angular leaf spot). Currently, due to the rapid development of molecular genetics in general, and in particular knowledge related to the organization of genomes of agricultural crops, the use of DNA technologies in strawberry breeding has become possible. To identify disease resistance loci, the most popular approach was to map the loci of quantitative traits (QTL). Accurate evaluation of heritability and the number, location and effects of loci controlling traits are the basis for strategic decisions in breeding programs. The purpose of this review is to present up-to-date data on known genes and quantitative trait loci (QTL) that control the resistance to the most common strawberry pathogens.