Gene Mapping and Genetic Analysis of Maize Resistance to Stalk Rot

Fusarium stalk rot, which is a common disease caused by <i>Fusarium</i> species, can seriously decrease maize grain yield and quality. Hence, the genetic mechanism mediating maize resistance to Fusarium stalk rot must be elucidated and the associated resistance genes useful for breeding disease-resistant cultivars should be identified. In this study, the highly resistant maize inbred line H1710 and highly susceptible inbred line Huangzaosi were used to construct segregating populations through hybridization, backcrossing, and other methods. A resistance/susceptibility pool was constructed from the F₂ population. A BSA-seq analysis revealed one candidate region associated with stalk rot resistance on chromosome 6; this region (3.98 Mb) contains 38 genes. Furthermore, KASP molecular markers designed for the candidate region precisely localized two candidate genes, <i>Zm00001eb260120</i> and <i>Zm00001eb260260</i>, which were considered to be the most likely genes mediating stalk rot resistance. The study findings lay a theoretical foundation for analyzing the molecular basis of maize resistance to Fusarium stalk rot and cloning the relevant resistance genes.