Quantitative trait loci for tomato yellow leaf curl virus and tomato mottle virus resistance in tomato

The genetic basis of resistance to tomato yellow leaf curl virus (TYLCV) and tomato mottle virus (ToMoV) was studied in three different mapping populations of tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.). Bulked segregant analysis (BSA) was used to identify random amplification of polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers linked to TYLCV and ToMoV resistance. Segregated RAPD markers associated with resistance were linked to morphological markers self-pruning (sp) and potato leaf (c) on chromosome 6. RAPD genetic linkage maps of chromosome 6 were constructed for each of the three populations. Common mapped markers revealed straightforward homologies between the chromosome 6 linkage group of the three populations. Multiple-QTL mapping (MQM) was used to identify quantitative trait loci (QTL) for resistance linked to chromosome 6. These revealed that the resistance against TYLCV and ToMoV was mainly explained by two QTL in two populations and one QTL in another. For all of the resistance QTL detected, the favorable allele was provided by the resistant parents. The presence of three different sources of TYLCV and ToMoV resistance, and the markers in tight linkage with them, provide a means of systemicaly combining multiple resistance genes. Successful cloning of the R gene from tomatoes would lead to deeper understanding of the molecular basis of resistance to TYLCV and ToMoV, and might also shed light on the evolution of resistance genes in plants in general.