The genetics of adult-plant blackleg (Leptosphaeria maculans) resistance from Brassica juncea in B. napus.

The genetic control of adult-plant blackleg (Leptosphaeria maculans) resistance in a Brassica napus line (579NO48-109-DG-1589), designated "R13" possessing Brassica juncea-like resistance (JR), was elucidated by the analysis of segregation ratios in F2 and F3 populations from a cross between "R13" and the highly blackleg-susceptible B. napus cultivar "Tower". The F2 segregration ratios were bimodal, demonstrating that blackleg resistance in "R13" was controlled by major genes. Analysis of the segregation ratios for 13 F3 families indicated that blackleg resistance in these families was controlled by three nuclear genes, which exhibited a complex interaction. Randomly sampled plants of F3 progeny all had the normal diploid somatic chromosome number for B. napus. The similarities between the action of the three genes found in this study with those controlling blackleg resistance in B. juncea is discussed.