关键词: 玉米, 南方锈病, 种质资源, 抗病基因, 抗病育种

Abstract:

Maize is the most widely cultivated, used and highest yield crop in the world and China. Southern corn rust (SCR) is an air borne disease caused by Puccinia polysora Underw., which mainly occurs in tropical and subtropical maize growing areas. In recent years, SCR has become one of the major diseases in the Huang-Huai-hai maize production region due to the climate change, which directly leads to compromised grain quality and poor yields in maize and significantly jeopardizes maize production in China. At present, SCR usually spreads in a large area within a short period of time once occurred because most maize varieties promoted in China are susceptible, and conventional chemical measures is usually in vain. Therefore, cultivating resistant cultivars by exploiting resistance genes in maize germplasm resources is the most effective and economical strategy for controlling SCR. The highly resistant germplasm is scarce in maize resources, mainly from tropical and subtropical regions, and barely no temperate germplasm can be directly used in breeding practice. Compared with foreign maize germplasm, the highly resistant maize germplasms of China were much less, mainly from local landraces or P group materials containing tropical origins with relatively limited genetic variation. The identification and cloning of SCR resistance genes in maize is essential for promoting molecular marker-assisted breeding, as well as accelerating the breeding process of new varieties with desired resistance. At present, several SCR resistance genes have been identified and cloned, laying a foundation for molecular marker-assisted selection. Over the years, Chinese breeders have developed a number of elite maize inbred lines resistant to SCR with limited resistance germplasm resources, and successfully created disease-resistant hybrids. Recent studies on the genome of SCR pathogens revealed that pathogens have differentiated into highly toxic lineages in China, thus escaping the recognition of resistance genes. Therefore, the exploration and utilization of extensive genetic resources in resistant germplasm still need to be further strengthened. In this paper, we outlined the biological characteristics and hazards of SCR, systematically summarized the research progresses in the identification and utilization of maize germplasm resources resistant to SCR, the mapping and cloning of SCR resistant genes and the breeding of resistant varieties, and prospect the future research direction of SCR. This review will provide references for the prevention and control of SCR, as well as the breeding of resistant maize varieties.

Key words: maize, southern corn rust, germplasm resources, resistant gene, resistance breeding