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Efficacy of the R2 resistance gene as a component for the durable management of potato late blight in France

Pilet F., Pellé R., Ellisseche D., Andrivon D.. 2005. Plant Pathology, 54 (6) : p. 723-732.

DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-3059.2005.01288.x

Many race-specific resistance genes to potato late blight are overcome in France, but the disease appears later on genotypes carrying the R2 gene. This study examined whether R2 could contribute to durable late-blight control in France, and analysed the conditions of its performance. Plants grown from tubers of different physiological ages showed no difference in R2 expression in field and climate-chamber experiments, demonstrating that the delay in epidemic onset provided by R2 was not the result of gene inactivation in old plants. Among isolates collected at one site, those virulent on R2 were classified into three AFLP profiles. AFLP-VII comprised exclusively isolates virulent to R2 , whereas AFLP-IV and AFLP-V included both virulent and avirulent isolates. No significant aggressiveness differences were observed between virulent and avirulent isolates from AFLP-V; however, isolates from AFLP-VII were significantly less aggressive than virulent isolates from AFLP-V. These results indicate that: (i) the delayed onset of epidemics on R2 cultivars is the result of the breakdown of R2 by virulent isolates; (ii) aggressiveness of isolates virulent to R2 depends primarily on the genetic background of the pathogen where the mutation to virulence occurs; and (iii) this mutation does not lead per se to lower pathogenic fitness. It is suggested that R2 is unlikely to make a lasting contribution to late-blight control in France, and that diversification strategies such as cultivar mixtures might not considerably increase its durability.

Mots-clés : solanum tuberosum; phytophthora infestans; résistance aux maladies; mélange; variété; pouvoir pathogène; épidémiologie; france

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