Uncovering root rot resistance across Pisum sativum diversity

Trenk, Nicolas (2025) Uncovering root rot resistance across Pisum sativum diversity. Doctoral thesis, University of East Anglia.

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Abstract

In the face of a changing climate and rising demand in plant-protein, pea (Pisum sativum) is increasingly becoming an important part of sustainable agriculture. However, its great potential is impeded by numerous biotic stresses, of which root rot poses a significant challenge. Specifically, soil-borne Fusarium species are important pathogens of pea causing root rot and wilting, yet despite substantial progress, the genetic and mechanistic understanding of host resistance remains incomplete. With pea having entered the genomic era and cutting-edge techniques as well as diverse germplasm collections being available, this study developed and optimised reproducible phenotyping platforms for the root rot and Fusarium wilt pathogens Fusarium solani f. sp. pisi (Fsp) and Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. pisi (Fop). This enabled the application of k-mer based association mapping and histology-guided transcriptomic analysis which fine-mapped the elusive single-dominant Fop resistance Fw and uncovered the underlying variation of the genetic factor. Furthermore, functional validation of Fw was successfully carried out via hairy root-mediated and stable overexpression as well as CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing, providing the first functional validation of resistance in pea. Ongoing investigations set the stage for exploring the downstream signalling pathways and highlight fascinating questions about the nature of this qualitative resistance and its implications on durable resistance pathways. Similarly, in addition to histological investigations shedding light on disease progression, the application of biparental linkage mapping approaches coupled to transcriptomics allowed to rapidly identify and confirm the major Fsp-Ps2.1 quantitative trait locus (QTL) and obtain high-priority candidate genes for validation being carried out in the hairy root system. This study sets a significant step toward a gene-level understanding of root disease resistance and builds the groundwork towards a mechanistic understanding of durable Fusarium resistance in pea.

Item Type:	Thesis (Doctoral)
Faculty \ School:	Faculty of Science > School of Biological Sciences
Depositing User:	Kitty Laine
Date Deposited:	06 May 2026 12:51
Last Modified:	06 May 2026 12:51
URI:	https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/102914
DOI:

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