PHYSIOLOGICAL AND MOLECULAR PLANT PATHOLOGY, cilt.1, sa.1, ss.1-26, 2025 (SCI-Expanded)
Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.), an important vegetable and
horticultural crop, provides significant health benefits. The quality
and yield of tomato plants are drastically impacted by root-knot
nematode (RKN) a group of obligate parasites. In the current study, 212
tomato genotypes collected from diverse geographical regions, including
Türkiye, France, Taiwan, and others, were molecularly screened using the
Mi23 primer pair (Mi23-F/Mi23-R) to detect the presence of the Mi-1.2
resistance gene. The results of the molecular screening revealed that a
total of six genotypes: three homozygous genotypes, Romitel-RHT 3
(France), AVTO0102-CLN2366B, and AVTO0101-CLN2413D (Taiwan), and three
heterozygous genotypes, Aysbars-F1, Italian Field (To-23), and Red Pole
(To-25) (Türkiye) amplified with a required band size of 380 bp..
Notably, 206 genotypes including those from the USA Germany, and
Kyrgyzstan, lacked the Mi-1.2 resistance gene, exhibiting susceptibility
to RKN. These findings highlight the significance role of molecular
markers in identifying and utilizing nematode-resistant genes to enhance
tomato breeding programs for robust and disease-resistant cultivars.