Enhancing disease resistance and yield traits of European hazelnut (Corylus avellana) using genomic technologies
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Lombardoni, Justin J..
Enhancing disease resistance and yield traits of European hazelnut (Corylus avellana) using genomic technologies. Retrieved from
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TitleEnhancing disease resistance and yield traits of European hazelnut (Corylus avellana) using genomic technologies
Date Created2022
Other Date2022-01 (degree)
Extent266 pages : illustrations
DescriptionEuropean hazelnut (Corylus avellana) is a widely produced tree nut crop, currently ranking fifth in the world with approximately 1,000,000 ha planted and 1,125,000 metric tons harvested per year. Corylus avellana is the primary hazelnut species produced commercially due to its superior nut traits, and most production takes place in regions with a Mediterranean-like climate. Anisogramma anomala is an ascomycete fungus that causes eastern filbert blight (EFB) on hazelnut. It is native to the United States east of the Rocky Mountains, where it has prevented commercial hazelnut production. This pathogen colonizes the vascular tissue and ultimately kills most trees lacking genetic resistance or tolerance. Most C. avellana trees are highly susceptible to this disease, whereas the wild American hazelnut (C. americana), which is native to a wide area of the eastern United States, is typically resistant or tolerant, and often displays few if any symptoms. The purpose of this research was to first characterize novel EFB resistant/tolerant germplasm in the context of C. avellana genetic diversity using single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers developed through next-generation sequencing (NGS). The same genotyping process was then used in conjunction with simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers to map quantitative trait loci (QTLs) for EFB resistance/tolerance using three C. americana × C. avellana interspecific mapping populations. The same three mapping populations were also used to map eight different nut/kernel traits in hazelnut, which included nuts per cluster, nut mass, kernel mass, kernel percentage, nut sphericity, kernel sphericity, kernel fiber, and blanching. As many as ten different genetic groups were identified across the C. avellana germplasm, and EFB resistant/tolerant germplasm was found within nine of these groups, indicating significant genetic diversity is present in resistant accessions. Further, five QTLs spanning three genetic regions were identified for EFB resistance/tolerance in the interspecific mapping populations, with QTLs on linkage group (LG) 10 and LG 11 indicating novel sources of resistance. Lastly, a total of 45 QTLs, 37 of which controlled at least 10% of the phenotypic variation for their assigned trait, were identified across the different nut/kernel traits evaluated. Overall, this body of research showed that EFB resistance and tolerance is found in a diverse range of genetic backgrounds, supporting that breeding for resistance need not be equated with narrowing genetic diversity. It also identified multiple loci controlling important disease resistance and production traits that can support marker aided breeding and other genomics-based breeding approaches. These loci hold promise for more efficient development of improved European and hybrid (C. americana × C. avellana) hazelnut cultivars.
NotePh.D.
NoteIncludes bibliographical references
Genretheses
LanguageEnglish
CollectionSchool of Graduate Studies Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Organization NameRutgers, The State University of New Jersey
RightsThe author owns the copyright to this work.
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