Marker-assisted and physiology-based breeding for resistance to root parasitic orobanchaceae

Abstract

Resistance to parasitic Orobanchaceae is a key component of crop management in agricultural systems where Striga, Orobanche, and Phelipanche species are major and prevalent pests. Durable resistance is best achieved through stacking multiple genes and gene combinations for different resistance mechanisms into adapted crop varieties. The traits stacked either interfere with the normal host/parasite association or mitigate its influence on crop productivity. Resistance trait discovery and transfer are enhanced through understanding the biology of crop/parasite association. This chapter reviews efforts and progress made in finding the traits exploited, describes how knowledge of parasitism was enhanced, and discusses the impact of the development and deployment of crop plants with improved resistance and tolerance to weedy Orobanchaceae. Physiology-based breeding and marker-assisted breeding are based on the discovery, characterization, and mapping of major genes and QTLs associated with resistance. These were used in various host/parasite systems and resistance models, which include horizontal resistance and vertical resistance.