Work

Transfer of Downy Mildew Resistance Genes from Wild Cucumbers to Beit Alpha Types

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: , is the most destructive foliar disease of cucumbers. While partially resistant slicer cultivars (with spined fruits) are commercially available, no resistant Beit Alpha cultivars (characterized by smooth, dark green fruit) have been developed to date. Here, we report the successful breeding of downy mildew-resistant Beit Alpha cucumber lines. Resistance was transferred from the wild Sikkim cucumber accessions PI 197088 and PI 330628 (characterized by round fruit, with heavily netted brown rind). The resistance and fruit phenotype were restored through backcrosses to elite commercial susceptible cultivars. Due to the recessive nature of the resistance genes and their distribution across multiple chromosomes, the breeding program required multiple backcrosses and stringent selections for both resistance and fruit type.

Source: Journal of Fungi

DOI: 10.3390/jof11080597

Authors: Rivka S. Hammer, Yariv Ben Naim, Arnon Brand, Yigal Cohen

Institution: Bar-Ilan University

Language: English

Topic: Advances in Cucurbitaceae Research

Subfield: Genetics

Field: Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology

Domain: Life Sciences

SDG: Zero hunger

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $3,137