Genetics of Powdery Mildew Resistance

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue is a continuation of our previous Special Issue “Powdery Mildew Resistance Genetics”.

Powdery mildew caused by obligate biotrophic fungi of the order Erysiphales is a widespread disease that infects a wide variety of angiospermic plant species. In crops, the effect of powdery mildew is often devastating, resulting in a high percentage of unmarketable products and heavy yield reduction. The use of crop genotypes genetically resistant to pathogens not only decreases the cultivation costs but also reduces the environmental pollution caused by the chemical control of plant diseases. Novel sources of genetic resistance to powdery mildew are continuously being identified. In some species, resistance is conferred by dominantly inherited pre-invasive and post-invasive defense mechanisms that directly target the pathogen. In other cases, powdery mildew resistance was found to be determined by QTLs or by a dominantly inherited single locus. The most impressive resistance is conferred by the recessive mildew resistance locus o (MLO). Naturally occurring or experimentally induced mutations in this locus can lead to the loss of function of the coded transmembrane protein MLO, resulting in strong broad-spectrum immunity to the fungus. Common to monocotyledonous and dicotyledonous plants, the MLO family is encoded by a variable number of loci from which only one locus or, in some cases, multiple loci, need to be mutated to achieve complete immunity. The simplicity of the MLO-associated recessive resistance has attracted multiple experimental mutagenic and gene editing projects that are currently being implemented. This Special Issue welcomes high-quality research and review articles on any aspect of the genetics of powdery mildew resistance, including studies on the modulation of the resistance and cross-effects with other biotic or abiotic stress factors.

Prof. Dr. José M. Leitão
Guest Editor

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• powdery mildew
• powdery mildew resistance
• pre-invasive defense
• post-invasive defense
• modulation of powdery mildew resistance
• molecular mechanism of powdery mildew resistance