Inheritance of resistance to flax wilt (Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. lini Schlecht) in a doubled haploid population of Linum usitatissimum

The inheritance of resistance to fusarium wilt (Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. lini) was investigated in Linum usitatissimum as a first step towards gaining an understanding of the molecular genetics of the disease and developing a procedure for marker-assisted selection. A recombinant doubled haploid (DH) population was derived from the haploid component of polyembryonic F 2 seeds originating from a cross between a wilt resistant, twinning Linola(TM*) line CRZY8/RA91 and the wilt susceptible Australian flax cultivar Glenelg. The segregation of resistance was studied in 143 DH lines under glasshouse and field conditions. Most of the phenotypic variation was attributable to the segregation of two independent genes with additive effects. Minor resistance genes may have also contributed by modifying the resistance response. A glasshouse screening method of DH lines proved a reliable indicator of field resistance to fusarium wilt.