War and Peas: Molecular Bases of Resistance to Powdery Mildew in Pea (Pisum sativum L.) and Other Legumes

Abstract

Grain legumes, or pulses, have many beneficial properties that make them potentially attractive to agriculture. However, the large-scale cultivation of legumes faces a number of difficulties, in particular the vulnerability of the currently available cultivars to various diseases that significantly impair yields and seed quality. One of the most dangerous legume pathogens is powdery mildew (a common name for parasitic fungi of the order Erisyphales). This review examines the methods of controlling powdery mildew that are used in modern practice, including fungicides and biological agents. Special attention is paid to the plant genetic mechanisms of resistance, which are the most durable, universal and environmentally friendly. The most studied legume plant in this regard is the garden pea (Pisum sativum L.), which possesses naturally occurring resistance conferred by mutations in the gene MLO1 (Er1), for which we list here all the known resistant alleles, including er1-12 discovered by the authors of this review. Recent achievements in the genetics of resistance to powdery mildew in other legumes and prospects for the introduction of this resistance into other agriculturally important legume species are also discussed.

Genetic Diversity Analysis based on the Virulence, Physiology and Regional Variability in Different Isolates of Powdery Mildew in Pea

“…Erysiphe is the largest, compared to additional teleomorphic genera, and accounts for about 50% of powdery mildew genera. Powdery mildew species develop within plant tissue and are generally epiphytic, forming symptomatic white mycelial mats on almost every plant organ [ 4 ]. Numerous studies on Erysiphe spp.…”

“…However, progress in pea pathogenomics, or the gene-for-gene hypothesis with its parasites and genetic susceptibility to pathogens, has lagged considerably behind many other plant–pathogen interactomes. Peas are susceptible to various fungal pathogens and parasites, resulting in low production and productivity [ 4 ]. The fungal parasites move from one place to another by infectious conidia carried by the wind and sometimes with seeds and soil.…”

Disease Resistance and Molecular Variations in Irradiation Induced Mutants of Two Pea Cultivars

“…Among the three identified pea powdery mildew resistance loci, er1 , er2, and Er3 , the er1 gene was widely used because of its recessive inheritance, broad spectrum, and persistence [ 9 , 58 , 59 ]. The resistance gene er1 was conferred by loss of function mutations in susceptible gene PsMLO1 [ 9 ].…”

“…To date, 12 er1 genes have been identified so far, including two artificial chemical mutations ( er 1-5 and er 1-10 ) and ten natural mutations (the rest of the er1 genes) [ 32 , 33 ]. Among these er1 genes, er1-1 ( er1mut1 ), er1-5 , er1-6 , and er1-10 were single base mutations; er1-3 , er1-4 , and er1-9 had single base deletions; er1-12 showed single base insertion; er1-7 and er1-8 held fragment deletions; and er1-2 exhibited large transposon insertion or a deletion of unknown size in the 13–14th exons [ 10 , 12 , 58 , 59 ]. Pereira et al [ 25 ] treated powdery mildew susceptible cultivar Solara with ENU to induce the 680th base of PsMLO1 gene cDNA from C to G, which was the same as the natural mutation er1-1 [ 32 , 33 , 58 ].…”

Anthraquinones and their analogues as potential biocontrol agents of rust and powdery mildew diseases of field crops

“…2,4 Biotrophic pathogens have very efficient spreading mechanisms, hampering their management. Several efforts were made to develop resistant cultivars, 1,2,4 but to date, the use of chemical is the most diffuse method for rust and powdery mildew management, 5,6 even though fungicides have low specificity, are not easily biodegradable and pathogens tend to develop resistance after a prolonged use. 7 These problems prompt the search for ecofriendly alternative methods also to satisfy the global pressing requests of policy makers and consumers.…”