Open AccessInterspecies gene transfer provides soybean resistance to a fungal pathogen
Author(s) -
Langenbach Caspar,
Schultheiss Holger,
Rosendahl Martin,
Tresch Nadine,
Conrath Uwe,
Goellner Katharina
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
plant biotechnology journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.525
H-Index - 115
eISSN - 1467-7652
pISSN - 1467-7644
DOI - 10.1111/pbi.12418
Subject(s) - biology , phakopsora pachyrhizi , fungicide , soybean rust , gene , crop , plant disease resistance , microbiology and biotechnology , genetically modified crops , transgene , gene transfer , crop protection , arabidopsis thaliana , plant disease , pathogen , genetics , botany , agronomy , mutant
Summary Fungal pathogens pose a major challenge to global crop production. Crop varieties that resist disease present the best defence and offer an alternative to chemical fungicides. Exploiting durable nonhost resistance ( NHR ) for crop protection often requires identification and transfer of NHR ‐linked genes to the target crop. Here, we identify genes associated with NHR of A rabidopsis thaliana to P hakopsora pachyrhizi , the causative agent of the devastating fungal disease called Asian soybean rust. We transfer selected Arabidopsis NHR ‐linked genes to the soybean host and discover enhanced resistance to rust disease in some transgenic soybean lines in the greenhouse. Interspecies NHR gene transfer thus presents a promising strategy for genetically engineered control of crop diseases.