Identification and mapping of CpPM10.1 , a major gene involved in powdery mildew (race 2 France of Podosphaera xanthii ) resistance in zucchini ( Cucurbita pepo L.)

Key message Powdery mildew resistance in zucchini is controlled by one major dominant locus, CpPM10.1 . CpPM10.1 was fine mapped. The expression of candidate gene Cp4.1LG10g02780 in resistant individuals was significantly upregulated after inoculation with the powdery mildew. Abstract Powdery mildew (PM) is one of the most destructive fungal diseases, reducing the productivity of Cucurbita crops globally. PM influences the photosynthesis, growth and development of infected zucchini and seriously reduces fruit yield and quality. In the present study, the zucchini inbred line ‘X10′ had highly stable PM resistance, and the inbred line 'Jin234′ was highly susceptible to PM in the seedling stage and adult stages. Genetic analysis revealed that PM resistance in ‘X10′ is controlled by one major dominant locus. Based on the strategy of QTL-seq combined with linkage analysis and developed molecular markers, the major locus was found to be located in a 382.9-kb candidate region on chromosome 10; therefore, the major locus was named CpPM10.1 . Using 1,400 F 2 individuals derived from a cross between ‘X10′ and ‘JIN234′ and F 2:3 offspring of the recombinants, the CpPM10.1 locus was defined in a region of approximately 20.9 kb that contained 5 coding genes. Among them, Cp4.1LG10g02780 contained a conserved domain (RPW8), which controls resistance to a broad range of PM pathogens. Cp4.1LG10g02780 also had nonsynonymous SNPs between the resistant ‘X10′ and susceptible ‘Jin234.′ Furthermore, the expression of Cp4.1LG10g02780 was strongly positively involved in PM resistance in the key period of inoculation. Further allelic diversity analysis in zucchini germplasm resources indicated that PM resistance was associated with two SNPs in the Cp4.1LG10g02780 RPW8 domain. This study not only provides highly stable PM resistance gene resources for cucurbit crops but also lays the foundation for the functional analysis of PM resistance and resistance breeding in zucchini.