A team of researchers from the Center for Research in Agrigenomics (CRAG) and the Institute for Agrifood Research and Technology (IRTA) has identified the powdery mildew resistance gene in peach trees. This disease, caused by the fungus Podosphaera pannosa, causes great financial losses to producers and generates a notable environmental impact due to the fungicides necessary for its control. The research is also providing new molecular tools to develop and identify resistant peach varieties and thus reduce the need to apply fungicides during the production process. "Before this study, and thanks to the use of interspecific crosses, we had been able to identify a gene for resistance to Podosphaera pannosa in almond trees, which are genetically very similar to peach trees. Now, thanks to the use of genomic tools, such as mass sequencing, we know the location of this gene much more accurately and also what its function could be," says Iban Eduardo, IRTA researcher at CRAG and leader of the project. Once the gene for resistance to powdery mildew in almond trees, called RGA2, was located, it could be introduced into commercial peach varieties through crosses and subsequent selection through the use of molecular markers. Crosses have already started to be done in the framework of the IRTA peach tree genetic improvement program, and the research staff is working to develop new resistant varieties, with all the economic and environmental advantages that this entails. "The molecular markers that we have described in this study are helping us select resistant peach trees among all the plants resulting from the crosses. We also propose using these genetic improvement programs to combine different genes for resistance to pests and diseases and thus boost the resistance and sustainability of the crops," says Neus Marimon, first author of the article. Source - https://www.freshplaza.com