An update on the arsenal: mining resistance genes for disease management of Brassica crops in the genomic era

Abstract

Brassica species include many economically important crops that provide nutrition and health-promoting substances to humans worldwide. However, as with all crops, their production is constantly threatened by emerging viral, bacterial, and fungal diseases, whose incidence has increased in recent years. Traditional methods of control are often costly, present limited effectiveness, and cause environmental damage; instead, the ideal approach is to mine and utilize the resistance genes of the Brassica crop hosts themselves. Fortunately, the development of genomics, molecular genetics, and biological techniques enables us to rapidly discover and apply resistance (R) genes. Herein, the R genes identified in Brassica crops are summarized, including their mapping and cloning, possible molecular mechanisms, and application in resistance breeding. Future perspectives concerning how to accurately discover additional R gene resources and efficiently utilize these genes in the genomic era are also discussed.

Rotating and stacking genes can improve crop resistance durability while potentially selecting highly virulent pathogen strains

“…on the pathosystem type and the dispersal strategy (e.g. wind-borne, rain-splashed and/or soil-borne) and on the typical dimension of the fields and/or assemblage of fields in the situation being investigated 4,18,43,63 . This study considered only four resistance genes, each with a major effect; in reality there may be more major resistance genes available 64,65 . These could be relatively easily added, but we would expect similar outcomes to the results observed here.…”

Genetics of Clubroot and Fusarium Wilt Disease Resistance in Brassica Vegetables: The Application of Marker Assisted Breeding for Disease Resistance

“…Various pathogens such as clubroot, Fusarium wilt, black rot, Sclerotinia stem rot, blackleg, white rust, downy mildew, white leaf spot, and turnip mosaic virus can infect Brassica crops [ 2 , 3 ]. Cultural, physical, biological, or chemical controls, or a combination of these controls, integrated pest management, are used for disease control.…”

Understanding Host–Pathogen Interactions in Brassica napus in the Omics Era

“…These diseases include Blackleg (hemibiotrophic fungal pathogen Leptosphaeria maculans ), Clubroot (obligate biotrophic protist/chytrid Plasmodiophora brassicae ), Sclerotinia Stem Rot (necrotrophic and more recently proposed as a hemibiotrophic fungal pathogen Sclerotinia sclerotiorum ) [ 21 ], Downy Mildew (obligate biotrophic oomycete Hyaloperonospora brassicae ), Alternaria Leaf Spot (necrotrophic fungal pathogen, particularly A. brassicae but also A. alternata and a range of other Alternaria spp. ), and White Rust (obligate biotrophic oomycete Albugo candida ) [ 22 , 23 ]. These diseases have widely caused a yield loss of 24–50% and economic loss of up to USD 200 million in the B. napus industry, with the potential to wipe out the entire crop where not effectively controlled [ 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 ].…”