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ARS Home » Midwest Area » St. Paul, Minnesota » Plant Science Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #381020
Research Project: Genetic Improvement and Cropping Systems of Alfalfa for Livestock Utilization, Environmental Protection and Soil Health

Location: Plant Science Research

Title: Identification and characterization of disease resistance genes in alfalfa and Medicago truncatula for breeding improved cultivars

Author
item Samac, Deborah - Debby
item Yu, Long-Xi
item MISSAOUI, ALI - University Of Georgia

Submitted to: Book Chapter
Publication Type: Book / Chapter
Publication Acceptance Date: 5/3/2021
Publication Date: 7/18/2021
Citation: Samac, D.A., Yu, L., Missaoui, A.M. 2021. Identification and characterization of disease resistance genes in alfalfa and Medicago truncatula for breeding improved cultivars. In: Yu,X. and Kole, C., editors. The Alfalfa Genome, Compendium of Plant Genomics. Springer, Cham:Switzerland. p. 211-233. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-74466-3_13.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-74466-3_13

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Alfalfa plants are susceptible to numerous diseases caused by fungi, oomycetes, bacteria, and nematode pests that significantly reduce forage yield and productive stand life. Disease resistance is the most common and effective means of reducing damage from pathogens. Using phenotypic recurrent selection, plant breeders have successfully developed alfalfa cultivars with high levels of resistance to major yield-limiting diseases. This chapter summarizes the cases in which the mechanisms of disease resistance and inheritance of resistance have been investigated. DNA markers associated with resistance have been identified for several diseases. However, alfalfa lags behind other major crops in the identification of disease resistance genes and use of molecular markers in cultivar improvement. A better understanding of disease resistance and the use of marker assisted selection of superior germplasm should accelerate breeding and development of more productive cultivars.