Interaction of quantitative trait loci for resistance to common bacterial blight and pathogen isolates in Phaseolus vulgaris L.

Common bacterial blight (CBB) is a major disease of common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) worldwide. Genetic resistance is the most effective and environmentally safe approach for controlling CBB, and identification of resistance quantitative trait loci (QTL) can improve response to selection when breeding for CBB resistance. Interactions of CBB resistance QTL and pathogen isolates with different levels of aggressiveness were studied using an F4:5 recombinant inbreed line (RIL) population, derived from a cross between the susceptible cultivar “Sanilac” and the resistant breeding line “OAC 09-3.” Disease phenotyping was performed under field and growth room conditions using multiple bacterial isolates with differential levels of aggressiveness. QTL analysis was performed with 237 molecular markers. The effect of pathogen isolate on the average phenotypic value in the RIL population and the interaction of RILs and the pathogen isolates were highly significant. Two QTL underlying CBB resistance were detected on Pv08 and Pv03. A major QTL (R2p between 15 and 56%) was identified in a 5-cM (380 kbp) interval in the distal end of the long arm of Pv08. This genomic region was significantly associated with multiple disease evaluation traits in field and growth room assays and against different isolates of the pathogen, which included the previously known CBB marker SU91. A new QTL on Pv03 (Xa3.3SO), associated with the PvSNP85p745405 allele from the susceptible parent, Sanilac, appeared to be an isolate-specific QTL against the aggressive fuscans isolate ISO118. Interaction between the SU91 and Xa3.3SO QTL resulted in a significant reduction in mean disease severity for almost all disease evaluation traits after plants were challenged with the isolate ISO118. The 7.92 and 7.79% diseased areas in RILs with both QTL, compared with 14.92 and 13.81% in RILs without either in test1 and in test2 quantified by image analysis, showed a 44 and 47% reduction of percent diseased areas, indicating that the two QTL interact to limit the expansion of CBB symptoms after infection by ISO118. The information obtained in this study indicates that while the broad-spectrum SU91 QTL is useful in breeding programs, isolate-specific QTL, such as Xa3.3SO, will aid in breeding bean varieties with enhanced resistance against aggressive regional isolates.