Maize productivity is threatened by global climate change. Climate change scenarios suggest that north-western (NW) Europe will get warmer and drier during the main crop-growing period. In general, more northerly regions benefit, whereas southerly suffer suboptimal rain-fed farming conditions. these latter in particular, resulting probable lower realized on-farm maize grain biomass yields must ...

Panicle blast 1 (Pb1) is a panicle blast resistance gene derived from the indica rice cultivar "Modan." Pb1 encodes a coiled-coil-nucleotide-binding site-leucine-rich repeat (CC-NB-LRR) protein and confers durable, broad-spectrum resistance to Magnaporthe oryzae races. Here, we investigated the molecular mechanisms underlying Pb1-mediated blast resistance. The Pb1 protein interacted with WRKY45...

Loss-of-function of barley mildew locus o (Mlo) confers durable broad-spectrum penetration resistance to the barley powdery mildew pathogen, Blumeria graminis f. sp. hordei (Bgh). Given the importance of mlo mutants in agriculture, surprisingly few molecular components have been identified to be required for this type of resistance in barley. With the aim to identify novel cellular factors cont...

Bacterial blight caused by Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae and fungal blast caused by Magnaporthe grisea result in heavy production losses in rice, a main staple food for approximately 50% of the world's population. Application of host resistance to these pathogens is the most economical and environment-friendly approach to solve this problem. Quantitative trait loci (QTLs) controlling quantitati...

Abstract Glyoxal-based condensation resins like 1,3-dimethylol-4,5-dihydroxyethyleneurea (DMDHEU) have been used to modify wood and improve its resistance against decaying fungi. High biological durability of DMDHEU-treated has already confirmed in laboratory field tests the past. However, modes protective action behind an improved decay are not fully understood yet. Furthermore, it is question...

An association genetics analysis was conducted to investigate the genetics of resistance to Septoria tritici blotch, caused by the fungus Zymoseptoria tritici (alternatively Mycosphaerella graminicola), in cultivars and breeding lines of wheat (Triticum aestivum) used in the UK between 1860 and 2000. The population was tested with Diversity Array Technology (DArT) and simple-sequence repeat (SS...

Plant breeders and nematologists have developed improved cultivars of important crop species with resistance to plant-parasitic nematodes. The effectiveness of these breeding efforts has depended on the availability of efficient screening procedures, identification of adequate sources of durable resistance, nature of the nematode feeding habit, and knowledge of the inheritance of resistance. Th...

Damage or mortality from pathogens can reduce productivity of forest plantations, as well as significantly harm natural forest ecosystems. Genetic resistance within the host species is the first line of defense for tree species. Resistance breeding programs for the native fusiform rust and exotic (to North America) white pine blister rust diseases are two of the longest concerted efforts in for...

The race 65 of Colletotrichum lindemuthianum, etiologic agent of anthracnose in common bean, is distributed worldwide, having great importance in breeding programs for anthracnose resistance. Several resistance alleles have been identified promoting resistance to this race. However, the variability that has been detected within race has made it difficult to obtain cultivars with durable resista...