Development of PCR‐based markers for a major locus conferring powdery mildew resistance in mungbean (<i>Vigna radiata</i>)

Abstract

Abstract Powdery mildew (PM) can cause significant yield loss in mungbean and several loci conferring resistance to this disease have been identified. A restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) marker (VrCS65) linked closely to one of these loci was used to screen a mungbean bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) library and positive BAC clones identified were used to develop simple sequence repeat (SSR or microsatellite) and sequence tagged site (STS) markers. Four of the new PCR markers (including two SSRs and two STSs) co‐segregated with the original RFLP marker VrCS65, and another SSR marker (VrCS SSR2) was located 0.5 cM away from it. These PCR‐based and locus‐specific markers could be useful in breeding cultivars with enhanced resistance to PM and in the further characterization of the locus including the isolation of gene(s) responsible for the resistance.