Interspecies gene transfer provides soybean resistance to a fungal pathogen |
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Authors: | Caspar Langenbach Holger Schultheiss Martin Rosendahl Nadine Tresch Uwe Conrath Katharina Goellner |
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Affiliation: | 1. Department of Plant Physiology, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany;2. BASF Plant Science Company GmbH, Agricultural Center, Limburgerhof, Germany |
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Abstract: | 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 Arabidopsis thaliana to Phakopsora 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. |
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Keywords: |
Arabidopsis thaliana
Asian soybean rust interspecies gene transfer nonhost resistance
Phakopsora pachyrhizi
soybean |
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