Identification of Sclerotinia stem rot resistance quantitative trait loci in a chickpea (Cicer arietinum) recombinant inbred line population

Sclerotinia stem rot (SSR), caused by Sclerotinia scierotiorum, is one of the most economically devastating diseases in chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.). No complete resistance is available in chickpea to this disease, and the inheritance of partial resistance is not understood. Two hundred F-7 recombinant inbred lines (RILs) derived from a cross between a partially resistant variety PBA HatTrick, and a highly susceptible variety Kyabra were characterised for their responses to SSR inoculation. Quantitative trait locus (QTL) analysis was conducted for the area under the disease progress curve (AUDPC) after RIL infection with S. scierotiorum. Four QTLs on chromosomes, Ca4 (qSSR4-1, qSSR4-2), Ca6 (qSSR6-1) and Ca7 (qSSR7- 1), individually accounted for between 4.2 and 15.8% of the total estimated phenotypic variation for the response to SSR inoculation. Candidate genes located in these QTL regions are predicted to be involved in a wide range of processes, including phenylpropanoid biosynthesis, plant-pathogen interaction, and plant hormone signal transduction. This is the first study investigating the inheritance of resistance to S. scierotiorum in chickpea. Markers associated with the identified QTLs could be employed for marker-assisted selection in chickpea breeding.