Association mapping and molecular marker development for cassava brown streak disease resistance.

Authors

Camilo E Sánchez-Sarria, Samar Sheat, Stephan Winter, Edward Kanju, Xiaofei Zhang, Nelson Morante, Carmen A Bolaños, Luz A Gómez-Martínez, Adriana Bohorquez-Chaux, Edda Mushi, Emmanuel Mrema, Kasele Salum, Ting Yang, Tong Wei, Jonathan Newby, Winnie Gimode

Published in

Frontiers in plant science. Volume 17. Pages 1977387. Epub Oct 16, 2026.

Abstract

Cassava brown streak disease (CBSD) - caused by Cassava brown streak virus (CBSV) and Ugandan cassava brown streak virus (UCBSV) - severely threatens cassava production and food security in sub-Saharan Africa. Breeding for resistance is the most sustainable control strategy, but it requires reliable resistance sources and a clear understanding of the underlying genetic mechanisms.
In this study, we utilized resistance introduced from Latin American cassava germplasm and mapped the genetic basis of CBSD resistance relevant to African environments. Whole-genome sequencing (WGS) was applied to a segregating population consisting of 426 F1 progeny derived from crosses with CBSD-resistant lines and genome-wide association studies (GWAS) conducted to dissect the genetic basis of resistance.
A major QTL on chromosome 11 was consistently and significantly associated with CBSD resistance across multiple GWAS models tested and marker types (SNPs and indels), explaining up to 34.89% of the phenotypic variation. Three Kompetitive Allele Specific PCR (KASP) markers were developed and validated from the associated SNPs. All three markers successfully differentiated between known resistant and susceptible parental lines and the mapping population, and one remained significantly associated with resistance in a broader validation population. Interestingly, the same resistance region was previously reported in genetic mapping of East African germplasm, highlighting the central role of this locus across diverse genetic backgrounds. Developing these markers targeting the major chromosome 11 QTL provides a practical molecular tool to accelerate marker-assisted selection and facilitate the development of resistant cassava varieties, ultimately enhancing food security and supporting farmer livelihoods in regions affected by CBSD in Africa.

PMID:
42964162
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 31 Oct 2026.

Read full publication at:
Please sign in to see all details.

Stats

1-terrible, 9-excellent. How would you rate this publication? Sign in in to submit your rating.

Post a comment

You need to be signed in to post comments. You can sign in here.

Comments

There are no comments yet.