Study of inheritance of fusarium wilt resistance through molecular marker analysis in pigeonpea [Cajanus cajan (L.) Millsp]

The inheritance studies in F₂ progenies of two crosses of pigeonpea LRG-41 X ICPL-8863 and TRG-22 X ICPL-87119 for Fusarium wilt resistance by using SCAR14f/r marker revealed that the inheritance was governed by a single dominant gene. All the resistant plants showed the amplification 937bp band and absent in susceptible plants which segregates in the ratio of 3 resistant:1 susceptible and thus confirming that the disease was controlled by a single dominant gene. These marker studies for two crosses indicated that the same gene in both resistant parents, ICPL-87119 and ICPL-8863 governs the resistance. Quick assessment of susceptibility or resistance to wilt at early crop stage will be possible with this SCAR14f/r marker, and it will eliminate the need for maintaining virulent isolates of the wilt pathogen and development of sick plots for artificial screening techniques.