Development of RAPD and SCAR markers linked to the Pvr4 locus for resistance to PVY in pepper (Capsicum annuum L.)

Potato Virus Y (PVY) is the only potyvirus infecting pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) in Europe. Currently, the development of pepper varieties resistant to PVY seems to be the most-efficient method to control PVY damage. Among the sources of resistance, a monogenic dominant gene Pvr4 confers resistance against all known PVY pathotypes. In this work, bulked segregant analysis (BSA) was used to search for randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers linked to the Pvr4 gene, using segregating progenies obtained by crossing a homozygous resistant ('Serrano Criollo de Morelos-334') with a homozygous susceptible ('Yolo Wonder') cultivar. Eight hundred decamer primers were screened to identify one RAPD marker (UBC19,432) linked in repulsion phase to Pvr4. This marker was converted into a dominant sequence characterised amplified region (SCAR) marker (SCUBC191423). This marker was mapped into a dense Capsicum genetic map in a region where several genes for resistance to different diseases are located. This marker can be useful to identify PVY-resistant genotypes in segregating progenies of pepper in marker-assisted selection (MAS) breeding programs.