Project description

Within the project, a total of around 1,300 different pea accessions are to be tested for resistance to PNYDV. Since aphids as vectors are the only transmission route, different pea genotypes are to be infected artificially (by the green pea aphid) under greenhouse conditions. After an incubation period, serological tests will be carried out to determine whether the individual accessions could be infected with the virus. The aim of the project is to find sources of resistance to the PNYDV. If this is successful, it will be possible to develop molecular markers for pea breeding. This could make varieties that are resistant to PNYDV available to farmers in the future.

Three research partners are involved in the project. The Gatersleben Genebank (IPK) is providing the pea accessions and the Julius Kühn Institute (JKI) in Braunschweig and AGES are testing the accessions for resistance to PNYDV.

Results

In the two project years 2022 and 2023, over 1,500 pea accessions(Pisum sativum) from the Gatersleben gene bank were tested for possible resistance or tolerance to PNYDV in greenhouse and field trials. Two accessions showed potential resistance and could be promising, and several tolerant accessions were identified that could be integrated into future breeding programmes. DNA samples from several promising accessions were extracted and subjected to initial sequencing to serve as a basis for marker-assisted selection in pea breeding.

Benefit of the project

The goal of the SPITFIRE project is to find sources of resistance to PNYDV and to create the basis for PNYDV-resistant pea varieties to be available to agriculture in the future.