Development and identification of two novel wheat-rye 6R derivative lines with adult-plant resistance to powdery mildew and high-yielding potential

Powdery mildew,caused by Blumeria graminis f.sp.tritici(Bgt),is a devastating disease that seriously threatens wheat yield and quality.To control this disease,host resistance is the most effective measure.Compared with the resistance genes from common wheat,alien resistance genes can better withstand infection of this highly variable pathogen.Development of elite alien germplasm resources with powdery mildew resistance and other key breeding traits is an attractive strategy in wheat breeding.In this study,three wheat-rye germplasm lines YT4-1,YT4-2,and YT4-3 were developed through hybridization between octoploid triticale and common wheat,out of which the lines YT4-1 and YT4-2 conferred adult-plant resistance(APR)to powdery mildew while the line YT4-3 was susceptible to powdery mildew during all of its growth stages.Using genomic in situ hybridization,multi-color fluorescence in situ hybridization,multi-color GISH,and molecular marker analysis,YT4-1,YT4-2,and YT4-3 were shown to be cytogenetically stable wheat-rye 6R addition and T1RS.1BL translocation line,6RL ditelosomic addition and T1RS.1BL translocation line,and T1RS.1BL translocation line,respectively.Compared with previously reported wheat-rye derivative lines carrying chromosome 6R,YT4-1 and YT4-2 showed stable APR without undesirable pleiotropic effects on agronomic traits.Therefore,these novel wheat-rye 6R derivative lines are expected to be promising bridge resources in wheat disease breeding.

Fine mapping of the powdery mildew resistance gene PmXQ-0508 in bread wheat

In a wheat breeding line XQ-0508 showing consistent resistance to powdery mildew disease,a recessive gene,designated PmXQ-0508,was identified and mapped to a distal region on chromosome arm 2BS.Of three resistance-associated genes in this region,one encoding a protein kinase was selected as the primary candidate for PmXQ-0508.Ten closely linked DNA markers developed in the study could be used for marker-assisted selection for powdery-mildew resistance in breeding programs.

The Relationship of Methyl Jasmonate Enhanced Powdery Mildew Resistance in Wheat and the Expressions of 9 Disease Resistance Related Genes

[Objective] This study was carried out to determine the induction effect of jasmonic acid（JA）on powdery mildew resistance in wheat,the activation effect on the expressions of plant disease resistance related genes,and to investigate the relationship between the induced resistance and the gene expression patterns.[Method] Three powdery mildew susceptible cultivars of ＂Chinese Spring＂,＂Pumai 9＂ and ＂Zhoumai 18＂ typically representing different phenotypes in the field were employed.The powdery mildew was assessed by detached leaf assay,and real time quantitative RT-PCR was used to determine the expression patterns of 9 disease resistance related genes of PR1（PR1.1）,PR2（β,1-3 glucanase）,PR3（chitinase）,PR4（wheatwin1）,PR5（thaumatin-like protein）,PR9（TaPERO,peroxidase）,PR10,TaGLP2a（germin-like）and Ta-JA2（jasmonate-induced protein）in leaf of the three cultivars.[Result] MeJA application enhanced the powdery mildew resistances of ＂Chinese Spring＂,＂Pumai 9＂ and ＂Zhoumai 18＂.The induced powdery mildew resistance could be detected from 12 h to 96 h after MeJA treatment,and the peak value was at 24 h.Though there were differences between the three cultivars,MeJA significantly effect on the expressions of the 8 disease resistance related genes except TaGLP2a,and the peak values were at 12 h,24 h or 48 h after treatments.The strongest activation of MeJA was on PR9 and PR1 that their expressions could reach more than 100 times of the untreated samples.MeJA strongly activated PR2、PR4、PR5、PR3、PR10 and Ta-JA2,their expression could reach 10 to 70 times,and there was almost no activation effect on TaGLP2a.The induced powdery mildew resistance positively correlated with the induced expressions of the 8 disease related genes.[Conclusion] The induced powdery mildew resistance positively correlated with the induced expressions of the disease related genes.Jasmonate signalling plays a role in defence against Blumeria graminis f.sp.tritici.and future manipulation of this pathway may improve powdery mildew resistance in wheat.

Field Efficacy of Six Kinds of Fungicides for Control and Prevention of Apple Powdery Mildew(Podosphaera leucotricha)

[Objective] This study aimed to screen effective fungicide for prevention and control of apple powdery mildew. [Method] Field efficacy of six kinds of fungi- cides with 18 concentrations against apple powdery mildew was investigated. [Re- sult] 4 000-fold triflumizole WP exhibited the highest control efficacy of 82.96%, fol- lowed by 3 000-fold triflumizole WP with control efficacy of 77.75%, while 800-fold and 1 000-fold 70% thiophanate methyl WP exhibited relatively low control efficacy, which was both lower than 60%. [Conclusion] In actual production, 4 000-fold triflu- mizole WP and 3 000-fold triflumizole WP should be used alternately to control and prevent apple powdery mildew.

Molecular Detection of Resistance Genes to Stripe Rust and Powdery Mildew in Common Wheat Cultivar Yunmai52

Yunmai52, developed by crossing with common wheat-Haynaldia villosa6AL/6VS translocation line 92R149 as a resistant parent in 1992, was a common wheat cultivar approved and released in 2007 in Yunnan Province, China, which is characterized by high resistance to powdery mildew and stripe rust. In this study,an F_2 population derived from a cross K78S/Yunmai52 was constructed to investigate the resistance genes, where K78 S is a wheat male sterile line susceptible to powdery mildew and stripe rust. Phenotypic identification of the parents, F_1 and F_2 populations and chi-square analyses showed that F_1 population was immune to stripe rust and powdery mildew; the segregation ratio of resistance and susceptibility to powdery mildew（χ~2=1.10χ~2_（1,0.05）=3.84） and stripe rust（χ~2=0.15χ~2_（1,0.05）=3.84） fit to a 3：1 ratio in F_2 population, indicating that Yunmai52 harbors a dominant stripe rust resistance gene and a dominant powdery mildew resistance gene. The individuals were further detected with a marker co-segregated with Pm21（SCAR_（1400）） and two markers closely linked with Yr26（XWe173 and Xbarc181）. The results showed that polymorphic bands could be amplified between the parents and between resistance and susceptibility gene pools at the same locus. Randomly 96 individuals of F_2 population were selected for verification. The results showed that the phenotype was significantly correlated with the genotype. The detection accuracy of markers SCAR_（1400）, XWe173 and Xbarc181 was 100%, 97.91% and 92.70%, respectively.Yunmai52 harbored powdery mildew resistance gene Pm21 and stripe rust resistance gene Yr26, which were both derived from 6AL/6VS translocation line 92R149.In addition, the results also demonstrate that Pm21 and Yr26 are two genes conferring durable resistance to powdery mildew and stripe rust in wheat.

Construction of Cucumber Powdery Mildew Early Warning System in Solar Greenhouse Based on Internet of Things

ln order to explore the design and construction of cucumber powdery mildew warning system in solar greenhouse, internet of things technology was used to conduct the real-time dynamic monitoring of the incidence of cucumber powdery mildew and cucumber growth environment in solar greenhouse. The growth environ-ment included temperature and humidity of air and soil. Logistic regression model was used to construct cucumber powdery mildew warning model. The results showed that humidity characteristic variable （maximum air humidity） and temperature characteristic variable （maximum air temperature） had significant effects on the inci-dence probability of cucumber powdery mildew in solar greenhouse. And it was fea-sible to construct cucumber powdery mildew warning system in solar greenhouse with internet of things.

Studies on Photosynthetic Characteristics of Tomato Leaves after Inoculation with Tomato Powdery Mildew (Oidium neolycopersici)

[ Objective ] The paper was to explore the pathogenic mechanism of tomato powdery mildew, and to study the effects of the disease on photosynthetic characteristics of tomato. [ Method ] With four tomato varieties as materials, the pathogen of tomato powdery mildew was artificially inoculated. After the varieties were infected, the parameters including net photosynthetic rate, stomatal conductance and transpiration rate of tomato leaf were measured by Li-6400 portable photo- synthesis detector under natural lighting conditions. [ Result] The net photosynthetic rate, stomatal conductance and transpiration rate of four tomato varieties all decreased after infection. However, the decrease extent of these parameters of four varieties was different. The parameters of seriously damaged Jinyangdajuxdng （ No. 4） and Xinsheng No. 1 （ No. 5 ） decreased greatly, while the parameters of slightly damaged Lujia （ No. 13 ） and improved 98-6 decreased lightly. [ Condu- sion] The results could provide theoretical basis for the study on pathogenic mechanism, new prevention way and resistance breeding of tomato powdery mildew.

Control Effect of Vegetable Oil on Cucumber Powdery Mildew

[Objective] The study discussed the indoor activity and field control effect of vegetable oil on cucumber powdery mildew.[Method] The cucumber seedlings of Changchunmici were adopted as the material,which were inoculated with the fungus pathogen of cucumber powdery mildew naturally occurred in the field.The indoor protective test and field test were performed respectively to observe the control effects of different plant oils EC on the cucumber powdery mildew.[Result] When six plant oils EC including cottonseed oil,soybean oil,canola oil,corn oil,sesame oil and sunflower oil was diluted into 10 and 5 ml/L,they had better control effect on cucumber powdery mildew.As for the indoor protective effect,the protective effect of the vegetable oil EC was equivalent to the control agent triadimefon EC,the field control effect of vegetable oil EC was in the range of 60%-75%,which was consistent with 69%-70% control effect of contrast agent with 1 ml/L triadimefon EC dilution.[Conclusion] All vegetable oils EC had significant control effect on cucumber powdery mildew in the test.

Spectroscopic Leaf Level Detection of Powdery Mildew for Winter Wheat Using Continuous Wavelet Analysis

Powdery mildew （Blumeria graminis） is one of the most destructive crop diseases infecting winter wheat plants, and has devastated millions of hectares of farmlands in China. The objective of this study is to detect the disease damage of powdery mildew on leaf level by means of the hyperspectral measurements, particularly using the continuous wavelet analysis. In May 2010, the reflectance spectra and the biochemical properties were measured for 114 leaf samples with various disease severity degrees. A hyperspectral imaging system was also employed for obtaining detailed hyperspectral information of the normal and the pustule areas within one diseased leaf. Based on these spectra data, a continuous wavelet analysis （CWA） was carried out in conjunction with a correlation analysis, which generated a so-called correlation scalogram that summarizes the correlations between disease severity and the wavelet power at different wavelengths and decomposition scales. By using a thresholding approach, seven wavelet features were isolated for developing models in determining disease severity. In addition, 22 conventional spectral features （SFs） were also tested and compared with wavelet features for their efficiency in estimating disease severity. The multivariate linear regression （MLR） analysis and the partial least square regression （PLSR） analysis were adopted as training methods in model mildew on leaf level were found to be closely related with the development. The spectral characteristics of the powdery spectral characteristics of the pustule area and the content of chlorophyll. The wavelet features performed better than the conventional SFs in capturing this spectral change. Moreover, the regression model composed by seven wavelet features outperformed （R2=0.77, relative root mean square error RRMSE=0.28） the model composed by 14 optimal conventional SFs （R2---0.69, RRMSE--0.32） in estimating the disease severity. The PLSR method yielded a higher accuracy than the MLR method. A combination of CWA and PLSR was found to be promising in providing relatively accurate estimates of disease severity of powdery mildew on leaf level.

Inheritance of Powdery Mildew Resistance in Cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) and Development of an AFLP Marker for Resistance Detection

Cucumber powdery mildew is one of the most destructive diseases of cucumber throughout the world. In the present study, inheritance of powdery mildew resistance in three crosses, and linkage of resistance with amplified fragment length polymorphism （AFLP） markers are studied to formulate efficient strategies for breeding cultivars resistant to powdery mildew. The joint analysis of multiple generations and AFLP technique has been applied in this study. The best model is the one with two major genes, additive, dominant, and epistatic effects, plus polygenes with additive, dominant, and epistatic effects （E-l-0 model）. The heritabilities of the major genes varied from 64.26% to 97.82%, and susceptibility was incompletely dominant for the two major genes in the three crosses studied. The additive effects of the two major genes and the dominant effect of the second major gene were high, and the epistatic effect of the additive-dominant between the two major genes was the highest in cross I . In cross II, the absolute value of the additive effect, dominant effect, and potential ratio of the first major gene were far higher than those of the second major gene, and the epistatic effect of the additive-additive was the highest. The genetic parameters of the two major genes in cross III were similar to those in cross II. Correlation and regression analyses showed that marker E25/M63-103 was linked to a susceptible gene controlling powdery mildew resistance. The marker could account for 19.98% of the phenotypic variation. When the marker was tested on a diverse set of 29 cucumber lines, the correlation between phenotype and genotype was not significant, which suggested cultivar specialty of gene expression or different methods of resistance to powdery mildew. The target DNA fragment was 103 bp in length, and only a small part was found to be homologous to DNA in the other species evaluated, which indicated that it was unique to the cucumber genome.

Pm67, a new powdery mildew resistance gene transferred from Dasypyrum villosum chromosome 1V to common wheat(Triticum aestivum L.)

Powdery mildew, caused by the biotrophic fungus Blumeria graminis f. sp. tritici(Bgt), is a global disease that poses a serious threat to wheat production. To explore additional resistance gene, a wheatDasypyrum villosum 1 V#5(1 D) disomic substitution line NAU1813(2 n = 42) with high level of seedling resistance to powdery mildew was used to generate the recombination between chromosomes 1 V#5 and1 D. Four introgression lines, including t1 VS#5 ditelosomic addition line NAU1815, t1 VL#5 ditelosomic addition line NAU1816, homozygous T1 DL·1 VS#5 translocation line NAU1817, and homozygous T1 DS·1 VL#5 translocation line NAU1818 were developed from the selfing progenies of 1 V#5 and 1 D double monosomic line that derived from F1 hybrids of NAU1813/NAU0686. All of them were characterized by fluorescence in situ hybridization, genomic in situ hybridization, 1 V-specific markers analysis, and powdery mildew tests at different developmental stages. A new powdery mildew resistance gene named Pm67 was physically located in the terminal bin(FL 0.70–1.00) of 1 VS#5. Lines with Pm67 exhibited seedling stage immunity and tissue-differentiated reactions at adult plant stage. The sheaths, stems, and spikes of the Pm67 line were still immune, but the leaves showed a low degree of susceptibility.Microscopic observation showed that most penetration attempts were stopped in association with papillae on the sheath, and colonies cannot form conidia on the susceptible leaf of Pm67 line at adult plant stage, suggesting that the defence layers of the Pm67 line is tissue-differentiated. Thus, the T1 DL·1 VS#5 translocation line NAU1817 provides a new germplasm in wheat breeding for improvement of powdery mildew resistance.

A study on JA-and BTH-induced resistance of Rosa rugosa‘Plena’to powdery mildew(Sphaerotheca pannosa)

Different concentrations of jasmonic acid(JA)and benzothiadiazole(BTH) were sprayed on 2-year-old Rosa rugosa‘Plena’ seedlings. The induced resistance of JA and BTH to Sphaerotheca pannosa(Wallr.) and the changes of their related physiological indices were investigated. Results showed that JA and BTH treatments had inhibitory impacts on S. pannosa infection. The optimal concentration of JA and BTH was 0.5 mmol/L for the disease-resistance induction of the leaves, its inductive effect was up to 66.36% for BTH and 54.49% for JA. Our results confirmed that exogenous JA and BTH significantly improved R. rugose ‘Plena’ resistance to S. pannosa. When treated with JA and BTH, activities of the three defense enzymes(POD, PPO, and PAL) increased significantly.Contents of total phenolics, flavonoids, and lignin also increased significantly. It is inferred from these results that exogenous JA and BTH could improve the resistance of R.rugose ‘Plena’ to S. pannosa through enhancing activities of the defensive enzymes and accumulation of secondary metabolites in the leaves.

Identification of Co-Segregating RAPD Marker Linked to Powdery Mildew Resistance Gene Pm18 in Wheat

The Pm18 gene of wheat confers resistance to the powdery mildew which is one of the mostserious diseases in many regions of the world. In this study, bulked segregant analysis(BSA) was used to develop randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers linked toPm18 gene. Three hundred and twenty decamer primers were screened and one of them wasidentified as RAPD marker (S411600) linked to Pm18. Using the F2 mapping population fromthe cross Pm18Chancellor, the marker S411600 was shown to co-segregate with the genePm18. This marker can be conveniently used for marker-assisted selection in wheatbreeding programs for the identification or pyramiding of Pm18 with other resistancegenes.

The Effect of Wheat Mixtures on the Powdery Mildew Disease and Some Yield Components

Mixtures composed of five wheat cultivars,Jingshuang 16,Jing 411,Jingdong 8,Lunxuan 987,and Baofeng 104,with different levels of resistance against powdery mildew were tested for their potential containment of the disease development in the field and for the influence on grain yield and the content of crude protein in the years 2007 and 2010.The plots were inoculated artificially with mixed isolates collected in the fields and propagated in the greenhouse and the disease was scored in 7 d interval during the two growing seasons.It was indicated that certain combinations,e.g.,Jingdong 8：Lunxuan 987,Jingdong 8：Baofeng 104,and Jing 411：Jingdong 8：Baofeng 104,showed positive efficacy on the mildew.The cultivar combinations tested in 2007 showed increase of grain yield,while most of the combinations tested in 2010 did not show the increase.The differences of the increases or decreases were not statistically significant except combinations Jing 411：Jingdong 8：Baofeng104,Jingshuang16：Jingdong8：Lunxuang 987 and Jingshuang 16：Jingdong 8：Lunxuan 987：Baofeng 104,which showed the decrease of the grain yield.The mixtures did not show influence on the content of crude protein in grain.More cultivar combinations need to be tested.

Molecular and Physical Mapping of Powdery Mildew Resistance Genes and QTLs in Wheat: A Review

Wheat powdery mildew （Pro） is a major disease of wheat worldwide. During the past years, numerous studies have been published on molecular mapping of Pm resistance gene（s） in wheat. We summarized the relevant findings of 89 major re- sistance gene mapping studies and 25 quantitative trait loci （QTL） mapping studies. Major Pm resistance genes and QTLs were found on all wheat chromosomes, but the Pm resistance genes/QTLs were not randomly distributed on each chromosome of wheat. The summarized data showed that the A or B genome has more major Pm resistance genes than the D genome and chromosomes 1A, 2A, 2B, 5B, 5D, 6B, 7A and 7B harbor more major Pm resistance genes than the other chromosomes. For adult plant resistance （APR） genes/QTLs, B genome of wheat harbors more APR genes than A and D genomes, and chromo- somes 2A, 4A, 5A, 1B, 2B, 3B, 5B, 6B, 7B, 2D, 5D and 7D harbor more Pm resistance QTLs than the other chromosomes, suggesting that A genome except 1A, 3A and 6A, B genome except 4B, D genome except 1D, 3D, 4D, and 6D play an impor- tant role in wheat combating against powdery mildew. Furthermore, Pm resistance genes are derived from wheat and its rela- tives, which suggested that the resistance sources are diverse and Pm resistance genes are diverse and useful in combating against the powdery mildew isolates. In this review, four APR genes, Pm38/Lr34/Yr18/Sr57, Pm46/Lr67/Yr46/Sr55, Pm？/Lr27/Yr30/ SY2 and Pm39/Lr46/Yr29, are not only resistant to powdery mildew but also effective for rust diseases in the field, indicating that such genes are stable and useful in wheat breeding programmes. The summarized data also provide chromosome locations or linked markers for Pm resistance genes/QTLs. Markers linked to these genes can also be utilized to pyramid diverse Pm resis- tance genes/QTLs more efficiently by marker-assisted selection.

Genetic dissection of the powdery mildew resistance in wheat breeding line LS5082 using BSR-Seq

Powdery mildew of wheat is a destructive disease seriously threatening yield and quality worldwide.Comprehensive dissection of new resistance-related loci/genes is necessary to control this disease.LS5082 is a Chinese wheat breeding line with resistance to powdery mildew.Genetic analysis,using the populations of LS5082 and three susceptible parents(Shannong 29,Shimai 22 and Huixianhong),indicated that a single dominant gene,tentatively designated PmLS5082,conferred seedling resistance to different Blumeria graminis f.sp.tritici(Bgt)isolates.Bulked segregant RNA-Seq was carried out to map PmLS5082 and to profile differentially expressed genes associated with PmLS5082.PmLS5082 was mapped to a 0.7 cM genetic interval on chromosome arm 2BL,which was aligned to a 0.7 Mb physical interval of 710.3–711.0 Mb.PmLS5082 differs from the known powdery mildew(Pm)resistance genes on chromosome arm 2BL based on their origin,chromosome positions and/or resistance spectrum,suggesting PmLS5082 is most likely a new Pm gene/allele.Through clusters of orthologous groups and kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes analyses,differentially expressed genes(DEGs)associated with PmLS5082 were profiled.Six DEGs in the PmLS5082 interval were confirmed to be associated with PmLS5082 via qPCR analysis,using an additional set of wheat samples and time-course analysis postinoculation with Bgt isolate E09.Ten closely linked markers,including two kompetitive allele-specific PCR markers,were confirmed to be suitable for marker-assisted selection of PmLS5082 in different genetic backgrounds,thus can be used to detect PmLS5082 and pyramid it with other genes in breeding programs.

Comparison of algorithms for monitoring wheat powdery mildew using multi-angular remote sensing data

Powdery mildew is a disease that threatens wheat production and causes severe economic losses worldwide. Its timely diagnosis is imperative for preventing and controlling its spread. In this study, the multiangle canopy spectra and disease severity of wheat were investigated at several developmental stages and degrees of disease severity. Four wavelength variable-selected algorithms: successive projection(SPA), competitive adaptive reweighted sampling(CARS), feature selection learning(Relief-F), and genetic algorithm(GA), were used to identify bands sensitive to powdery mildew. The wavelength variables selected were used as input variables for partial least squares(PLS), extreme learning machine(ELM), random forest(RF), and support vector machine(SVM) algorithms, to construct a suitable prediction model for powdery mildew. Spectral reflectance and conventional vegetation indices(VIs) displayed angle effects under several disease severity indices(DIs). The CARS method selected relatively few wavelength variables and showed a relatively homogeneous distribution across the 13 viewing zenith angles.Overall accuracies of the four modeling algorithms were ranked as follows: ELM(0.70–0.82) > PLS(0.63–0.79) > SVM(0.49–0.69) > RF(0.43–0.69). Combinations of features and algorithms generated varied accuracies, with coefficients of determination(R^(2)) single-peaked at different observation angles. The constructed CARS-ELM model extracted a predictable bivariate relationship between the multi-angle canopy spectrum and disease severity, yielding an R^(2)> 0.8 at each measured angle. Especially for larger angles,monitoring accuracies were increased relative to the optimal VI model(40% at-60°, 33% at +60°), indicating that the CARS-ELM model is suitable for extreme angles of-60° and +60°. The results are proposed to provide a technical basis for rapid and large-scale monitoring of wheat powdery mildew.

Genetic behavior of Triticum aestivum–Dasypyrum villosum translocation chromosomes T6V#4S·6DL and T6V#2S·6AL carrying powdery mildew resistance

T6V#2S·6AL and T6V#4S·6DL translocation chromosomes developed from the cross of wheat and different Dasypyrum villosum accessions have good powdery mildew （PM） resistance, but their pairing and pyramiding behavior remains unclear. Results in this study indicated that the pairing frequency rate of the two differently originated 6VS chromosomes in their F1 hybrid was 18.9% according to genomic in situ hybridization （GISH）; the PM resistance plants in the F2 generation from the cross between T6V#4S·6DL translocation line Pm97033 and its PM susceptible wheat variety Wan7107 was fewer than expected. However, the ratio of the resistant vs. the susceptible plants of 15：1 in the F2 generation derived from the cross between the two translocation lines of T6V#2S·6AL and T6V#4S·6DL fitted well. Plants segregation ratio （homozygous：heterozygous：lacking） revealed by molecular marker for T6V#4S·6DL or T6V#2S·6AL in their F2 populations fitted the expected values of 1：2：1 well, inferring that the pairing of the two alien chromosome arms facilitates the transmission of T6V#4S·6DL from the F1 to the F2 generation. A quadrivalent was also observed in 21% of pollen mother cells （PMCs） of homozygote plants containing the two pairs of translocated chromosomes. The chromosome pairing between 6V#2S and 6V#4S indicates that it will be possible to obtain recombinants and clarify if the PM resistance determinant on one alien chromosome arm is different from that on the other.

Inhibitive Mechanisms of Two Silicon Compounds on Powdery Mildew of Melon

Seedlings of Yujinxiang melon were used to investigate the effect and inhibitive mechanism of sodium silicate and nanosized silicon oxide on powdery mildew. The results showed that the severity of powdery mildew on melon seedlings was lowered significantly by treatment with either of the two silicon compounds, although the effect of sodium silicate was more powerful than silicon oxide. Application of sodium silicate to the seedlings caused significant increases in the activity of peroxidase (POD) and of β-1,3-glucosidase (GLU), both enzymes are known to be associated with the disease defence systems of plants. SEM-EDX analysis of sodium silicate-treated leaves of the melon seedlings showed an elevated level of silicon deposit at stomata and epidermis. Treatment with nanosized silicon oxide also resulted in a similar increase in silicon deposit, but the treatment did not cause a significant increase in POD activity.

Breeding melon(Cucumis melo)with resistance to powdery mildew and downy mildew

Melon(Cucumis melo L.)production is often restricted by a plethora of pests and diseases,including powdery mildew and downy mildew caused respectively by the fungal species Podosphaera xanthii/Golovinomyces orontii and oomycete species Pseudoperonospora cubensis.Many efforts have been directed on identification of resistant sources by screening(wild)melon germplasm.In the current review,we summarized such efforts from various publications of the last 50 plus years.Resistance to powdery mildew has been identified in 239 melon accessions and downy mildew resistance in 452 accessions of both C.melo and the wild relative species C.figarei.Among the resistance sources,C.melo var.cantalupensis accessions PMR 45,PMR 5,PMR 6,and WMR 29 as well as C.melo var.momordica accessions PI 124111,PI 124112,and PI 414723 have been considered as the most valuable germplasm because multiple resistance genes have been identified from these accessions and are widely used in melon resistance breeding.Further genetic mapping in a number of resistant sources has enabled identification of 25 dominant genes,two recessive genes and seven QTLs conferring powdery mildew resistance,as well as eight dominant genes and 11 QTLs for downy mildew resistances.Based on the reported sequences of associated markers,we anchored physically(many of)these genes and QTLs to chromosomes of the melon cv.DHL92 genome.In addition to presenting a comprehensive overview on powdery mildew and downy mildew resistance in(wild)melon germplasm,we suggest strategies aiming at breeding melon with durable and broad-spectrum resistance to pathogens and pests.