CmPMRl and CmPMrs are responsible for resistance to powdery mildew caused by Podosphaera xanthii race 1 in Melon

Key Message Two genes for resistance to Podosphaera xanthii race 1 in melon were identified on chromosomes 10 and 12 of the Cucumis melo cultivar MR-1. Cucumis melo L. is an economically important crop, the production of which is threatened by the prevalence of melon powdery mildew (PM) infections. We herein utilized the MR-1 (P-1; resistant to PM) and M4-7 (P-2; susceptible to PM) accessions to assess the heritability of PM (race 1) resistance in these melon plants. PM resistance in MR-1 leaves was linked to a dominant gene (CmPMRl), whereas stem resistance was under the control of a recessive gene (CmPMrs), with the dominant gene having an epistatic effect on the recessive gene. The CmPMRl gene was mapped to a 50 Kb interval on chromosome 12, while CmPMrs was mapped to an 89 Kb interval on chromosome 10. The CmPMRl candidate gene MELO3C002441 and the CmPMrs candidate gene MELO3C012438 were identified through sequence alignment, functional annotation, and expression pattern analyzes of all genes within these respective intervals. MELO3C002441 and MELO3C012438 were both localized to the cellular membrane and were contained conserved NPR gene-like and MLO domains, respectively, which were linked to PM resistance. In summary, we identified patterns of PM resistance in the disease-resistant MR-1 melon cultivar and identified two putative genes linked to resistance. Our results offer new genetic resources and markers to guide future marker-assisted breeding for PM resistance in melon.

Automated summary

In this study, two genes for resistance to Podosphaera xanthii race 1 in melon were identified. Through the analysis of the disease-resistant MR-1 melon cultivar, two candidate genes related to powdery mildew resistance were found. These findings provide new genetic resources and markers for marker-assisted breeding for powdery mildew resistance in melon.