The Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. ciceris/Cicer arietinum pathosystem: a case study of the evolution of plant-pathogenic fungi into races and pathotypes

The use of resistant cultivars is one of the most practical and costefficient strategies for managing plant diseases. However, the efficiency of resistant cultivars in disease management is limited by pathogenic variability in pathogen populations. Knowledge of the evolutionary history and potential...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Jiménez-Gasco, M. Mar, Navas Cortés, Juan Antonio, Jiménez-Díaz, Rafael M.
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Fecha de publicación:2004
País:España
Institución:Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC)
Repositorio:DIGITAL.CSIC. Repositorio Institucional del CSIC
OAI Identifier:oai:digital.csic.es:10261/2140
Acceso en línea:http://hdl.handle.net/10261/2140
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Cicer arietinum
Fusarium wilt
Pathogenic variability
DNA fingerprinting
Gene genealogy
Transposons
Descripción
Sumario:The use of resistant cultivars is one of the most practical and costefficient strategies for managing plant diseases. However, the efficiency of resistant cultivars in disease management is limited by pathogenic variability in pathogen populations. Knowledge of the evolutionary history and potential of the pathogen population may help to optimize the management of disease-resistance genes, irrespective of the breeding strategy used for their development. In this review, we examine the diversity in virulence phenotypes of Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. ciceris, the causal agent of Fusarium wilt of chickpeas, analyze the genetic variability existing within and among those phenotypes, and infer a phylogenetic relationship among the eight known pathogenic races of this fungus. The inferred intraspecific phylogeny shows that each of those races forms a monophyletic lineage. Moreover, virulence of races to resistant chickpea cultivars has been acquired in a simple stepwise pattern, with few parallel gains or losses. Although chickpea cultivars resistant to Fusarium wilt are available, they have not yet been extensively deployed, so that the stepwise acquisition of virulence is still clearly evident.