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qRfg3, a novel quantitative resistance locus against Gibberella stalk rot in maize

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A quantitative trait locus  qRfg3 imparts recessive resistance to maize Gibberella stalk rot. qRfg3 has been mapped into a 350-kb interval and could reduce the disease severity index by ~26.6%.

Abstract

Gibberella stalk rot, caused by the fungal pathogen Fusarium graminearum, severely affects maize yield and grain quality worldwide. To identify more resistance quantitative trait loci (QTLs) against this disease, we analyzed a recombinant inbred line (RIL) population derived from a cross between resistant H127R and susceptible C7-2 inbred lines. Within this population, maize resistance to Gibberella stalk rot had high broad-sense heritability. A major QTL, qRfg3, on chromosome 3 was consistently detected across three field trials, accounting for 10.7–19.4% of the total phenotypic variation. Using a progeny-based sequential fine-mapping strategy, we narrowed qRfg3 down to an interval of ~350 kb. We further demonstrated that qRfg3 is a recessive resistance locus to Gibberella stalk rot that reduced the disease severity index by ~26.6%. Both the gene location and recessive genetic mode distinguish qRfg3 from other stalk rot resistance loci. Hence, qRfg3 is valuable as a complement to existing resistance QTLs to improve maize resistance to Gibberella stalk rot.

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Acknowledgements

We are grateful to Prof. Jiansheng Li (China Agricultural University, Beijing) for provision of the RIL population and genotypic information. This work was financially supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China (grant numbers: 2016YFD0101803 and 2016YFD0101002).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. National Maize Improvement Centre of China, China Agricultural University, Beijing, People’s Republic of China

    Chuanyu Ma, Xuena Ma, Lishan Yao, Yongjie Liu, Feili Du, Xiaohong Yang & Mingliang Xu

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  1. Chuanyu Ma
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  2. Xuena Ma
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  3. Lishan Yao
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Correspondence to Mingliang Xu.

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Ma, C., Ma, X., Yao, L. et al. qRfg3, a novel quantitative resistance locus against Gibberella stalk rot in maize. Theor Appl Genet 130, 1723–1734 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00122-017-2921-5

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