Use of SNP markers by KASP assay for MAS studies in sunflower againstPlasmopara halstedii

Authors: KEVSER KÖSOĞLU, SEVCAN YUMUK, YILDIZ AYDIN, GÖKSEL EVCİ, AHU ALTINKUT UNCUOĞLU

Abstract: Downy mildew is a fungal disease caused by Plasmopara halstedii and leads to loss of yield up to 100% in sunflower. Disease control is performed mostly through chemical seed treatment and breeding. Due to the time consuming nature of conventional breeding, it is supported by biotechnological approaches. Marker-assisted selection (MAS) is a strategic approach in molecular breeding using molecular markers. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) such as insertions, deletions, and base-pair substitutions are more advantageous than other molecular markers. The abundance and biallelic nature of SNPs in a genome provide flexibility in the choosing of SNPs at the desired loci. Competitive allele-specific PCR (KASP) is a genotyping technology for screening of trait-specific SNP markers. In this study, SNP markers (NSA002867, NSA006138; NSA000052, NSA000354; NSA002220, NSA002251) linked with the downy mildew resistance genes Pl_arg, Pl₁₃, and Pl₈, respectively, were analyzed via KASP in three parental crosses (RHA-419 x Colombi, RHA-419 x P64LC53, RHA-419 x Oliva) for Pl_arg, one parental cross (HA-R5 x P64LC53) for Pl₁₃, one parental cross (P64LC53 x HA-89) for Pl₈, and 140 F₂ individuals. According to the allelic discrimination results, NSA002867 and NSA006138 markers were discriminative in all crosses for Pl_arg, NSA000354 marker was discriminative for Pl₁₃, and NSA002220 and NSA002251 markers were discriminative for Pl₈. This study has revealed the potential use of SNP markers in combination with KASP assay for MAS studies, particularly downy mildew resistance in sunflower.

Keywords: Downy mildew, KASP, MAS, SNP, sunflower, resistance genes

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