Toward Marker Assisted Selection for Fungal Disease Resistance in Sunflower. Utilization of H. Bolanderi as a Source of Resistance to Downy Mildew

Sunflower is the most important oil crop in Bulgaria. Downy mildew, caused by the fungal pathogen Plasmopara halstedii, is one of the major diseases in sunflower that can lead to significant loss of yield, to more than 50%. Breeding for resistance is considered as the most effective method for achievement of low cost and environmentally friendly production. The present minireview is focused on the current status of knowledge related to the identification and the localization of the genes that control resistance to downy mildew in sunflower, as well as, the markers associated with the loci for this resistance in the frame of genetic linkage maps. A study, aimed at identification and mapping of chromosomal regions/markers introgressed from H. bolanderi, which confer resistance to P. halstedii in two inbred lines, was described. This research program, initiated in AgroBioInstitute in the frame of project DO02-105 "Centre for Sustainable Development of Plant and Animal Genomics" was launched for the development of sunflower breeding lines with improved resistance to fungal pathogens through MAS.