Inheritance of phenotypic traits in the progeny of a Ceratocystis interspecific cross

Ceratocystis fimbriata is a fungal plant pathogen that causes black rot on Ipomoea batatas. Based on inoculation studies on numerous tree species, the pathogen is known to be host specific. The closely related species, Ceratocystis manginecans, causes severe wilt on a broad range of tree hosts, incl...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Fungal biology 2018-07, Vol.122 (7), p.717-729
Main Authors: Fourie, Arista, Wingfield, Michael J., Wingfield, Brenda D., van der Nest, Magriet A., Loots, M. Theodor, Barnes, Irene
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Ceratocystis fimbriata
Ceratocystis manginecans
Heritability
Host specificity
Quantitative traits
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Ceratocystis fimbriata is a fungal plant pathogen that causes black rot on Ipomoea batatas. Based on inoculation studies on numerous tree species, the pathogen is known to be host specific. The closely related species, Ceratocystis manginecans, causes severe wilt on a broad range of tree hosts, including Mangifera indica, Acacia mangium and other leguminous tree species. The genetic factors underlying the pathogenicity and host specificity of Ceratocystis species have rarely been investigated. In this study, an F1 population of 70 recombinant progeny from a cross between C. fimbriata and C. manginecans was generated and the inheritance of various phenotypic traits was investigated. Results showed that colony colour, growth rate, asexual spore production and aggressiveness to I. batatas and A. mangium are all quantitative traits with high levels of heritability. However, conidia production and aggressiveness appeared to be regulated by a small number of genes. No correlation could be found between aggressiveness and other phenotypic traits, suggesting that these are inherited independently. This is the first study to consider genetic inheritance of pathogenicity and host specificity in Ceratocystis species and the results will contribute, in future, to the identification of quantitative trait loci and candidate genes associated with the traits investigated. •Ceratocystis manginecans is not pathogenic to Ipomoea batatas.•Conidia production and growth rate are not associated with aggressiveness in Ceratocystis.•Various phenotypic traits in Ceratocystis were confirmed to be quantitative.•Host specificity is a heritable trait and regulated by a small number of genes.
ISSN:1878-6146
1878-6162
DOI:10.1016/j.funbio.2018.03.001