Partial resistances, often controlled by quantitative trait loci (QTL), are considered to be more durable than monogenic resistances. Therefore, a precursor to developing efficient breeding programs for polygenic resistance to pathogens should be a greater understanding of genetic diversity and stability of resistance QTL in plants. In this study, we deciphered the diversity and stability of resistance QTL to Aphanomyces euteiches in pea towards pathogen variability, environments and scoring criteria, from two new sources of partial resistance (PI 180693 and 552), effective in French and USA infested fields. Two mapping populations of 178 recombinant inbred lines each, derived from crosses between 552 or PI 180693 (partially resistant) and Baccara (susceptible), were used to identify QTL for Aphanomyces root rot resistance in controlled and in multiple French and USA field conditions using several resistance criteria. We identified a total of 135 additive-effect QTL corresponding to 23 genomic regions and 13 significant epistatic interactions associated with partial resistance to A. euteiches in pea. Among the 23 additive-effect genomic regions identified, five were consistently detected, and showed highly stable effects towards A. euteiches strains, environments, resistance criteria, condition tests and RIL populations studied. These results confirm the complexity of inheritance of partial resistance to A. euteiches in pea and provide good bases for the choice of consistent QTL to use in marker-assisted selection schemes to increase current levels of resistance to A. euteiches in pea breeding programs.

White mold, caused by Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, is a devastating fungal disease of common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) worldwide. Physiological resistance and disease avoidance conferred by plant architecture-related traits contribute to white mold field resistance. Our objective was to further examine white mold disease avoidance in common bean. A comparative map composed of 79 quantitative trait loci (QTL) for white mold resistance (27), disease avoidance traits (36) and root traits (16) was generated. Thirteen white mold resistance QTL, six with strong and seven with weak associations with disease avoidance traits, were observed. Root length and lodging QTL co-located in three regions.

White mold caused by the necrotrophic fungus Sclerotinia sclerotiorum (Lib.) de Bary limits common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) production in temperate climates. Disease resistance has been identified, but breeding is hampered by a paucity of resistance sources and complex inheritance, as numerous quantitative trait loci (QTL) conditioning partial resistance have been found. Our objectives were to characterize the partial white mold resistance found in breeding lines I9365‐31 and VA19 and to construct a comparative linkage map for all the white mold resistance QTL identified to date. Recombinant inbred line (RIL) populations ‘Benton’/VA19 (BV) and ‘Raven’/I9365‐31 (R31) consisting of 79 F6 and 105 F5 RILs, respectively, were evaluated for white mold (WM) reaction in multiple greenhouse and field tests. Two QTL were found in BV, WM2.2 expressed in the greenhouse (R2 = 33%) and the field (13%) and WM8.3 expressed in field (11%) only, and seven were found in R31 (WM2.2, WM4.2, WM5.3, WM5.4, WM6.1, WM7.3, WM8.4), three expressed in greenhouse tests and four in the field, ranging in phenotypic variance from 5 to 52%. These QTL were compared with 26 previously identified QTL, resulting in a comparative linkage map of 35 QTL, which coalesced into 21 distinct regions across nine linkage groups. Four QTL found in R31 were novel. Sequence characterized amplified region markers associated with WM2.2, WM8.3, and WM7.3 QTL were generated. The comparative linkage map provides a framework for integrating and interpreting future QTL studies concerning white mold resistance in common bean.

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The occurrence and frequency of outcrossing in homothallic fungal species in nature is an unresolved question. Here we report detection of frequent outcrossing in the homothallic fungus Sclerotinia sclerotiorum. In using multilocus linkage disequilibrium (LD) to infer recombination among microsatellite alleles, high mutation rates confound the estimates of recombination. To distinguish high mutation rates from recombination to infer outcrossing, 8 population samples comprising 268 S. sclerotiorum isolates from widely distributed agricultural fields were genotyped for 12 microsatellite markers, resulting in multiple polymorphic markers on three chromosomes. Each isolate was homokaryotic for the 12 loci. Pairwise LD was estimated using three methods: Fisher's exact test, index of association (I A ) and Hedrick's D 0 . For most of the populations, pairwise LD decayed with increasing physical distance between loci in two of the three chromosomes. Therefore, the observed recombination of alleles cannot be simply attributed to mutation alone. Different recombination rates in various DNA regions (recombination hot/ cold spots) and different evolutionary histories of the populations could explain the observed differences in rates of LD decay among the chromosomes and among populations. The majority of the isolates exhibited mycelial incompatibility, minimizing the possibility of heterokaryon formation and mitotic recombination. Thus, the observed high intrachromosomal recombination is due to meiotic recombination, suggesting frequent outcrossing in these populations, supporting the view that homothallism favors universal compatibility of gametes instead of traditionally believed haploid selfing in S. sclerotiorum. Frequent outcrossing facilitates emergence and spread of new traits such as fungicide resistance, increasing difficulties in managing Sclerotinia diseases.