Aphanomyces euteiches: A Threat to Canadian Field Pea Production

Field pea (Pisum sativum var. arvense L.) is an important legume crop around the world. It produces grains with high protein content and can improve the amount of available nitrogen in the soil. Aphanomyces root rot (ARR), caused by the soil-borne oomycete Aphanomyces euteiches Drechs. (A. euteiches), is a major threat to pea production in many pea-growing regions including Canada; it can cause severe root damage, wilting, and considerable yield losses under wet soil conditions. Traditional disease management strategies, such as crop rotations and seed treatments, cannot fully prevent ARR under conditions conducive for the disease, due to the longevity of the pathogen oospores, which can infect field pea plants at any growth stage. The development of pea cultivars with partial resistance or tolerance to ARR may be a promising approach to analyze the variability and physiologic specialization of A. euteiches in field pea and to improve the management of this disease. As such, the detection of quantitative trait loci (QTL) for resistance is essential to field pea-breeding programs. In this paper, the pathogenic characteristics of A. euteiches are reviewed along with various ARR management strategies and the QTL associated with partial resistance to ARR.