Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Number of involved genes and heritability of clover rot (Sclerotinia trifoliorum) resistance in red clover (Trifolium pratense)

  • Published:
Euphytica Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

European red clover (Trifolium pratense) crops are challenged by clover rot, a devastating disease caused by Sclerotinia trifoliorum or, in some cases by S. sclerotiorum. No completely resistant cultivars are available and resistance breeding is hampered by the lack of knowledge on the number of involved resistance genes and the heritability of clover rot resistance. In this study, we estimated the number of major genes contributing to clover rot resistance by analysing 15 F1 progeny populations from pair crosses between ramets of resistant and susceptible genotypes. Parent plants were chosen from diverse, diploid populations, including wild material, landraces and cultivars. Young progeny plants were inoculated with ascospores, evaluated phenotypically and the segregation of disease scores was studied. Our results indicated that clover rot resistance may be conferred by three major effect genes, although segregation patterns suggested that there may be numerous minor effect genes involved as well. No proof was found for a maternal inheritance of clover rot resistance. To get insight in the heritability of clover rot resistance, we applied divergent selection by our high-throughput bio-test on an experimental diploid population: the original population (70.5 %), the first generation after selection for susceptibility (79.2 %) and the first generation after selection for resistance (62.3 %) differed significantly in susceptibility (p < 0.001). The second generation after selection for resistance (60.0 %) was not more resistant than the first generation after selection for resistance. In the first generation of selection the heritability (h2) was on average 0.34. In the second generation of selection h2 was 0.07. These findings have important implications for resistance breeding.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Arahana VS, Graef GL, Specht JE, Steadman JR, Eskridge KM (2001) Identification of QTLs for resistance to Sclerotinia sclerotiorum in soybean. Crop Sci 41:180–188

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Bert PF, Dechamp-Guillaume G, Serre F, Jouan I, de Labrouhe DT, Nicolas P, Vear F (2004) Comparative genetic analysis of quantitative traits in sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.). Theor Appl Genet 109:865–874

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Boland GJ, Hall R (1994) Index of host plants of Sclerotinia sclerotiorum. Can J Plant Pathol 16:93–108

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Boller B, Posselt UK, Veronesi F (2010) Handbook of Plant Breeding. Springer, Dordrecht

    Google Scholar 

  • Dabkeviènë G, Dabkevièius Z (2005) Evaluation of wild red clover (Trifolium pratense L.) ecotypes and hybrid populations (Trifolium pratense L. × Trifolium diffusum Ehrh.) for clover rot resistance (Sclerotinia trifoliorum Erikks.). Biolojia 3:54–58

    Google Scholar 

  • Delclos B, Duc G (1996) Etude de la résistance à Sclerotinia trifoliorum chez le trèfle violet (Trifolium pratense L.). PhD thesis. Université de Paris, Orsay, France

  • Dijkstra J (1964) Inoculation with ascospores of Sclerotinia trifoliorum for detection of clover rot resistant red clover. Euphytica 13:314–329

    Google Scholar 

  • Falconer DS, Mackay TFC (1996) Introduction to quantitative genetics. Pearson Education, Harlow

    Google Scholar 

  • Hartl DL, Clark AG (2007) Principles of population genetics. Sinauer, Massachusetts

    Google Scholar 

  • Herrmann D, Boller B, Studer B, Widmer F, Kölliker R (2008) Improving persistence in red clover: insights from QTL analysis and comparative phenotypic evaluation. Crop Sci 48:277

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kearsey MJ, Pooni HS (1996) The genetical analysis of quantitative traits. Chapman & Hall publishing, London

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Kim HS, Diers BW (2000) Inheritance of partial resistance to Sclerotinia stem rot in soybean. Crop Sci 40:55–61

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Klimenko I, Razgulayeva N, Gau M, Okumura K, Nakaya A, Tabata S, Kozlov NN, Isobe S (2010) Mapping candidate QTLs related to plant persistency in red clover. Theor Appl Genet 120:1253–1263

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Marum P, Smith RR, Grau CR (1994) Development of procedures to identify red clover resistant to Sclerotinia trifoliorum. Euphytica 77:257–261

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Micic Z, Hahn V, Bauer E, Schön CC, Knapp SJ, Melchinger AE (2004) QTL mapping of Sclerotinia midstalk-rot resistance in sunflower. Theor Appl Genet 109:1474–1484

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Miklas PN (2007) Marker-assisted backcrossing QTL for partial resistance to Sclerotinia white mold in dry bean. Crop Sci 47:935–942

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Öhberg H 2008 Studies of the persistence of red clover cultivars in Sweden with particular reference to Sclerotinia trifoliorum. PhD thesis. Swedish University of Agricultural Studies, Umeå, Sweden

  • Öhberg H, Ruth P, Bang U (2008) Differential responses of red clover cultivars to Sclerotinia trifoliorum under diverse natural climatic conditions. Plant Pathol 57:459–466

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Park SO, Coyne DP, Steadman JR, Skroch PW (2001) Mapping of QTL for resistance to white mold disease in common bean. Crop Sci 41:1253–1262

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Raynal G (1985) Observations sur le comportement varietal au champ du trèfle violet vis-à-vis de la sclérotiniose et sur l’épidémiologie de la maladie. Fourrages 101:85–104

    Google Scholar 

  • Rönicke S, Hahn V, Vogler A, Friedt W (2005) Quantitative trait loci analysis of resistance to Sclerotinia sclerotiorum in sunflower. Phytopathol 95:834–839

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Saharan GS, Mehta N (2008) Sclerotinia diseases of crop plants: biology ecology and disease management. Springer, New Delhi

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Saint Clair DA (2010) Quantitative disease resistance and quantitative resistance loci in breeding. Annu Rev Phytopathol 48:247–268

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Slusarenko AJ, Fraser RSS, van Loon LC (2000) Mechanisms of resistance to plant diseases. Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht, The Netherlands

  • Smith RR (1996) A two stage selection procedure for resistance to Sclerotinia in red clover. U.S. Dairy Forage Research Center Research Summaries: 4–5

  • Taylor NL, Quesenberry KH (1996) Red clover science. Kluwer academic publishers, Dordrecht, The Netherlands

  • Uhm JY, Fuji H (1983) Heterothallism and mating type mutation in Sclerotinia trifoliorum. Phytopathol 73:569–572

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vaverka M, Vaverka S, Vichova J (2003) Resistance of cultivars of the Czech assortment of red clover Trifolium pratense L. to the stem and crown rot Sclerotinia trifoliorum Erikss. Czech J Genet Plant 39:326–329

    Google Scholar 

  • Vleugels T, Baert J, van Bockstaele E (2011) Construction of a bio-test for infection of red clover plants with Sclerotinia trifoliorum. Comm Agr Appl Biol Sci 76:583–586

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Vleugels T, De Riek J, Heungens K, van Bockstaele E, Baert J (2012) Genetic diversity and population structure of Sclerotinia species from European red clover crops (Trifolium pratense L.). J Plant Pathol 94:493–503

    Google Scholar 

  • Vleugels T, Baert J, van Bockstaele E (2013a) Morphological and pathogenic characterization of genetically diverse Sclerotinia isolates from European red clover crops (Trifolium pratense L.). J Phytopathol 161:254–262

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Vleugels T, Cnops G, van Bockstaele E (2013b) Screening for resistance to clover rot (Sclerotinia spp.) among a diverse collection of red clover populations (Trifolium pratense). Euphytica Doi: 10.1007/s10681-013-0949-4

  • Vuong TD, Diers BW, Hartman GL (2008) Identification of QTL resistance to Sclerotinia stem rot in soybean. Crop Sci 48:2209–2214

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yue B, Radi SA, Vick BA, Cai X, Tang S, Knapp SJ, Gulya TJ, Miller JF, Hu J (2008) Identifying quantitative trait loci for resistance to Sclerotinia head rot in two USDA sunflower germplasms. Phytopathol 98:926–931

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Zhao J, Meng J (2003) Genetic analysis of loci associated with partial resistance to Sclerotinia sclerotiorum in rapeseed (Brassica napus L.). Theor Appl Genet 106:759–764

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Plant Sciences Unit, Institute for Agricultural and Fisheries Research (ILVO), Caritasstraat 21, 9090, Melle, Belgium

    Tim Vleugels & Erik van Bockstaele

  2. Department of Plant Production, Ghent University, Coupure Links 653, 9000, Ghent, Belgium

    Erik van Bockstaele

Authors
  1. Tim Vleugels
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Erik van Bockstaele
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Tim Vleugels.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Vleugels, T., van Bockstaele, E. Number of involved genes and heritability of clover rot (Sclerotinia trifoliorum) resistance in red clover (Trifolium pratense). Euphytica 194, 137–148 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10681-013-0982-3

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10681-013-0982-3

Keywords

Search

Navigation