Identification of apple cultivars robust to apple blotch disease

authored by: S. Richter, M. Hofer, A. Peil, A. Bohr, S. Buchleither, H. Flachowsky, T. Wohner
Abstract: Apple blotch disease, caused by the fungus Diplocarpon coronariae, is spreading in apple growing areas of Europe. Infection results in yield losses and reduces fruit quality. The cultivation of robust apple cultivars is a sustainable solution to prevent the spread of the disease in apple production and also reduces the need for pesticides. In this study, 535 apple cultivars from the collection of the German Fruit Genebank (GFG) were evaluated for susceptibility to apple blotch disease. For this initial assessment, the apple cultivars were tested in the laboratory using detached leaf assays. Initial results showed differences in the susceptibility between traditional apple cultivars, including cultivars with reduced symptom development. In addition, a genome-wide association study (GWAS) was conducted using phenotyping data from the detached leave assay and genotyping data generated using a 50K SNP array to identify genomic regions associated with resistance to apple blotch disease. The GWAS analysis indicated that resistance to apple blotch is polygenic. Several genomic regions associated with resistance to the disease were identified. This study provides information on robust apple cultivars and potential targets for future resistance breeding.
Organisation(s): Section Molecular Plant Breeding
External Organisation(s): Julius Kühn Institute - Federal Research Centre for Cultivated Plants (JKI)
Lake Constance Research Station for Fruit Cultivation (KOB)
Type: Conference contribution
Pages: 97-102
No. of pages: 6
Publication date: 30.10.2024
Publication status: Published
Peer reviewed: Yes
ASJC Scopus subject areas: Horticulture
Electronic version(s): https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2024.1412.15 (Access: Closed)