Fine Mapping and Identification of a Candidate Gene of Downy Mildew Resistance, <i>RPF2</i>, in Spinach (<i>Spinacia oleracea</i> L.)

Downy mildew is a major threat to the economic value of spinach. The most effective approach to managing spinach downy mildew is breeding cultivars with resistance genes. The resistance allele RPF2 is effective against races 1–10 and 15 of Peronospora farinosa f. sp. Spinaciae (P. effusa) and is widely used as a resistance gene. However, the gene and the linked marker of RPF2 remain unclear, which limit its utilization. Herein, we located the RPF2 gene in a 0.61 Mb region using a BC1 population derived from Sp39 (rr) and Sp62 (RR) cultivars via kompetitive allele specific PCR (KASP) markers. Within this region, only one R gene, Spo12821, was identified based on annotation information. The amino acid sequence analysis showed that there were large differences in the length of the LRR domain between the parents. Additionally, a molecular marker, RPF2-IN12821, was developed based on the sequence variation in the Spo12821, and the evaluation in the BC1 population produced a 100% match with resistance/susceptibility. The finding of the study could be valuable for improving our understanding of the genetic basis of resistance against the downy mildew pathogen and breeding resistance lines in the future