Genetic mapping of resistance to Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. tulipae in tulip

The Author(s) 2015. This article is published with open access at Springerlink.com Abstract Fusarium oxysporum is a major problem in the production of tulip bulbs. Breeding for resistant cultivars through a conventional approach is a slow process due to the long life cycle of tulip. Until now, marker-assisted selection (MAS) has been hampered by the large genome size and the absence of a genetic map. This study is aimed at construction of the first genetic map for tulip and at the identification of loci associated with resistance to F. oxysporum. A cross-pollinated population of 125 individuals segregating for Fusarium resistance was obtained from Tulipa gesneriana ‘‘Kees Nelis’ ’ and T. fosteriana ‘‘Cantata.’’ Fusarium resistance of the mapping population was evaluated through a soil infection test in tw