Inheritance of powdery mildew resistance and leaf macrohair density in Gerbera hybrida

The cultivated gerbera daisy [Gerbera hybrida (G. jamesonii Bolus ex Adlam x G. viridifolia Schultz-Bip)] often contracts powdery mildew (PM) when grown under conditions of high humidity. During field and greenhouse performance trials conducted with gerberas of the North Carolina State University collection, two half-sib field plants and two of their greenhouse-grown progeny were identified as being highly resistant to PM caused by Podosphaera (Sphaerotheca)fusca (Fr.) Blumer emend. Braun & Takamatsu. These plants were also unusual in having smooth glossy leaves with very low numbers of bristle macrohairs (MHs) on the adaxial leaf surface compared to wild type. The primary objectives of this investigation were to determine the mode of inheritance of PM resistance and MH density traits and determine if there was a causal relationship between the phenotypes. Parental genotypes were determined by testcrosses to wild-type, PM-susceptible and MH-high-density leaf cultivars. For each trait, a series of crosses were made to produce P-A, P-B, F-1, F-2, BC1A, and BC1B progeny. Linkage relationships among PM resistance and MH density loci were examined by testcrosses. Phenotypic segregation ratios suggested the presence of a dominant allele, Pmr1, determining PM resistance and an unlinked dominant allele, Mhd, determining low density of adaxial bristle MHs and moderate reduction in abaxial smooth MHs. The Pmr1 allele appeared to be incompletely dominant in some heterozygotes where one parent was from a highly PM susceptible background. Modifying genes may have some affect on the level of PM resistance or susceptibility. The Mhd allele appeared to be incompletely dominant in some heterozygotes. Segregation ratios indicated that the wild-type alleles were recessive to the PM-resistance and MH-low-density alleles and given the designation pmr1 and mhd, respectively. Density of leaf MHs did not affect PM resistance.