Mapping genes for resistance to Leptosphaeria maculans in Brassica juncea

Blackleg disease of crucifers, caused by the fungus Leptosphaeria maculans, is a major concern to oilseed rape producers worldwide. Brassica species containing the B genome have high levels of resistance to blackleg. Brassica juncea F2 and first-backcross (B1) populations segregating for resistance to a PG2 isolate of L. maculans were created. Segregation for resistance to L. maculans in these populations suggested that resistance was controlled by two independent genes, one dominant and one recessive in nature. A map of the B. juncea genome was constructed using segregation in the F2 population of a combination of restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) and microsatel lite markers. The B. juncea map consisted of 325 loci and was aligned with previous maps of the Brassica A and B genomes. The gene controlling dominant resistance to L. maculans was positioned on linkage group J13 based on segregation for resistance in the F2 population. This position was confirmed in the B1 population in which the resistance gene was definitively mapped in the interval flanked by pN199RV and sB31143F. The provisional location of the recessive gene controlling resistance to L. maculans on linkage group J18 was identified using a subset of informative F2 individuals.