The root-knot nematode resistance N-gene co-localizes in the Me-genes cluster on the pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) P9 chromosome

With 3 figures and 3 tables Abstract Root-knot nematodes (Meloidogyne spp.) are major plant pathognematicidesens, affecting several solanaceous crops worldwide including pepper (Capsicum spp.). Owing to the drastic reduction in the use of most , breeding for root-knot nematode resistance is a major challenge for pepper breeders. In pepper, resistance to this pathogen is dominant and controlled by several Me-genes, which were mapped on the pepper P9 chromosome using PCR-based markers, and by the N-gene which was shown to be linked to Me3 using allelism tests. In this study, we developed PCR-based markers and showed that the N-gene colocalized in the Me-genes cluster on the P9 chromosome on pepper reference maps using carthagene software (INRA: Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique, Toulouse, France). N was mapped at 7 cM from Me1 and 2 cM from Me3 which is confirmed to be allelic to Me7 according to allelism resistance tests. The tightly linked markers to Me and N-genes will be very useful for the marker-assisted selection of nematodes resistance in pepper and to study the durability of these R-genes, alone or pyramided in different genetic backgrounds.