Molecular Plant-Pathogen Interactions
 

Genomics of Quantitative Disease Resistance in African Maize Varieties

 
 
Dr Bridget Crampton, Jeanne Korsman, Duncan Newman, Monique Heystek, Mischa Muller, Khensani Rakgalakane

The project aim will be to identify genes governing quantitative resistance to GLS in African maize cultivars and molecular markers for these genes. The innovation will be to combine classical quantitative genetic analysis, genetic mapping and global gene expression profiling. The power of including expression profiling using oligonucleotide microarrays is that genes underlying resistance QTL can be identified. This dramatically decreases the time and effort required in analyzing QTL, and alleviates the problem of lack of tight linkage between markers for the QTL and the gene/s responsible for increased resistance. These genes and/or tightly linked molecular markers will be of enormous value to maize breeders for use in marker assisted selection of resistance traits. This project combines the skills of a number of experts in South Africa and will be the first expression QTL (eQTL) project in the country. Establishing capacity in this technique will enable future work on additional favourable traits in crops for which microarrays are available. 
 
  
 
Cercospora zeina cultures with emphasis on the conidiophores and conidia
 

Maize eQTL project team 
 

L - R: Rikus Kloppers (PANNAR), Barbara Ros (UP), Jeanne Korsman (UP), Dave Berger (UP), John Derera (UKZN ACCI), Pangirayi Tongoona (UKZN ACCI), Felix Middelton (PANNAR) 
 
Inset L - R: Zander Myburg (UP), Shane Murray (CPGR), Duncan Newman (UP), Philip Law (UP)
 
 
Collaborators
 
• African Centre for Crop Improvement (University of Kwa-Zulu Natal),
• Centre for Proteomic and Genomic Research (University of Cape Town)
• PANNAR
 
 
MeQTL project field trip March 2011:
 
 
Standing L - R: Felix Middelton (PANNAR), Monique Heystek (UP), Thomas Schmidt (UP), Mischa Muller (UP), Dave Berger (UP), Hlandiwe Gumede (UKZN ACCI) 
 
Seated L - R: Shane Murray (CPGR), Bridget Crampton (UP)
 
 
Publications:
 
Meisel, B., Korsman, J., Kloppers, F.J. and Berger, D.K. (2009) Cercospora zeina is the causal agent of grey leaf spot disease of maize in southern Africa. European Journal of Plant Pathology, 124 (4) 577-583. 
 
FABI Featured article (2009)
  
 
 
 
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