Powdery mildew resistance in soybean PI 243540 is controlled by a single dominant gene

Abstract

Powdery mildew (Microsphaera diffusa Cooke & Peck) is a common disease of soybean in many countries of the world, including the northern United States of America and parts of Canada. The genetic resistance of soybean to M. diffusa is known to be controlled by a single locus with three alleles designated as Rmd, Rmd-c and rmd. Identification and characterization of sources of resistance is a prerequisite for the development of resistant cultivars. The objective of this study was to determine the inheritance of powdery mildew resistance in a plant introduction (PI) from Japan, PI 243540. The inheritance of powdery mildew was determined in a segregating population from a cross between powdery mildew susceptible Ohio cultivar Wyandot and PI 243540. The parents and the progeny showed a consistent response to powdery mildew for all growth stages of plants. The two parents, the F1, F2, and F2:3 families from the cross were screened in a greenhouse and field following inoculation with M. diffusa. All F1 plants were resistant to M. diffusa and χ2 analysis for segregation in the population of 343 F2 plants indicated a tight fit for a 3:1 (P = 0.78) ratio, indicative of a single dominant gene. In the next generation, the 334 F2-derived families fit an expected 1 resistant:2 segregating:1 susceptible segregation ratio (P =0.88), which confirmed the results obtained in the F2 generation. Our results indicate that the powdery mildew resistance derived from PI 243540 is controlled by a single dominant gene linked to the Rmd/ Rmd-c/rmd locus. The simple inheritance of this gene should make it relatively easy to find linked DNA markers and transfer the gene to susceptible elite cultivars using the backcross breeding approach.