New and efficient AS-PCR molecular marker for selection of coffee resistant to coffee leaf rust
Dênia Pires de Almeida, Deisy Guimarães Carneiro, Eveline Teixeira Caixeta, Danúbia Rodrigues Alves and Laércio Zambolim
Abstract: Coffee leaf rust, caused by Hemileia vastatrix, is the most important disease affecting Coffea arabica. The use of molecular markers through marker-assisted selection (MAS) is an effective approach to develop cultivars with multiple and durable resistance, which is economically and environmentally beneficial for this disease control. In this work, a new molecular marker based on allele-specific polymerase chain reaction (AS-PCR) associated with the quantitative trait locus (QTL) of the linkage group 5 (LG5), which confers resistance to races I, II and pathotype 001 of H. vastatrix, was developed. The CaRHv10-AS marker was validated in a segregating genetic mapping population of 247 F2 genotypes and demonstrated selection efficiency greater than 97% for genotypes with resistance to three races. Thus, this work provides a fast, robust, and affordable molecular marker for use in MAS, facilitating the development of coffee plants with multiple resistance and ensuring sustainable coffee production.