Breeding strategies of virus resistance in solanaceous crops
Author(s): Ravi Gautam, Sushima Dhital, Abhishek, Pooja Pahal, Reetika, Himanshu and Vivek Beniwal
Abstract: Vegetables are regarded as protective foods and play a vital role in human nutrition. The vegetable sector has shown significant progress in production and productivity, emerging as a promising avenue to diversify agriculture, create employment opportunities, and bolster farmer’s incomes. India holds the second position globally in vegetable production, trailing only behind China. Major vegetables cultivated in India include potato, tomato, chilly, and pepper, all belonging to the Solanaceous family. However, these crops are susceptible to various viral diseases due to their sensitive nature. Employing resistance breeding is crucial to mitigate losses. The backcross method stands out as the most effective conventional breeding approach for transferring resistance genes. Screening, such as the sap inoculation method used in tobacco for detecting Tomato spotted wilt virus by Mandal et al. (2008), is a pivotal technique. Hanson et al. (2016) conducted experiments on molecular marker-assisted selection and gene pyramiding for multiple disease resistance in tomatoes. Rai et al. (2014) employed molecular marker-assisted selection in interspecific crosses of Capsicum to confirm the presence of viruses. Biotechnological methods offer expedited solutions for developing disease-resistant varieties of Solanaceous crops, circumventing the lengthy duration required by conventional breeding methods. These non-conventional approaches facilitate the direct transfer or manipulation of specific genes enhancing efficiency. Gene pyramiding, coupled with marker technology enables the integration of desired traits into breeding programs mitigating the issue of linkage drag. Biotechnological interventions including gene cloning and transgene techniques enable the engineering of individual genes into commercial cultivars further enhancing disease resistance.
