Genetic mapping of gummy stem blight (Didymella bryoniae) resistance genes in Cucumis sativus-hystrix introgression lines

Gummy stem blight (GSB, Didymella bryoniae (Auersw.) Rehm) is a devastating disease occurring worldwide in cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) production and causing considerable yield loss. No commercially available cultivars are resistant to GSB. By screening 52 introgression lines (ILs) derived from the cross of C. hystrix x C. sativus and eight cucumber cultivar/lines through a whole plant assay, three ILs (HH1-8-1-2, HH1-8-5, HH1-8-1-16) were identified as GSB resistant lines. Six common introgression regions in these three ILs were on Chromosomes 1, 4, and 6. To further map the resistance in the ILs, three mapping populations (2009F(2), 2009F(2)' and 2010F(2)) from a cross between resistant IL HH1-8-1-2 and susceptible 8419 were constructed and used for QTL mapping with SSR markers. Two quantitative trait loci (QTLs) were identified; one on Chromosome 4 and the other on Chromosome 6. The interval for Chromosome 4 QTL is 12 cM spanning 3.569 Mbp, and the interval for Chromosome 6 QTL is 11 cM covering 1.299 Mbp. The mapped QTLs provide a foundation for map-based cloning of the genes and establishing an understanding of the associated mechanisms underlying GSB resistance in cucumber.