Genome-Wide Association Study Detects Loci Involved in Scab Susceptibility in Japanese Apricot

Japanese apricot (Prunus mume) is an important fruit tree in East Asia. ‘Nanko’, the primary cultivar of apricots, usually suffers from scab, a disease caused by Venturia carpophila. However, there have been few reports on phenotypic variation scab resistance/susceptibility and underlying genetic factors. In this study, we investigated severity naturally occurring scabs based lesions 108 accessions over four consecutive years. each year, both resistant susceptible were observed, significant annual correlations detected among ratios diseased fruits (Rt; 0.52–0.76) indices (Sv; 0.55–0.79). We also conducted genome-wide association study (GWAS) exon-targeted resequencing, peaks data 2017 2018. The candidate genes involved resistance are located near nine single-nucleotide polymorphisms. These may be associated with susceptibility ‘Nanko’ lineages to scab. findings shed light profiles P. mume will assist future breeding programs improving resistance.