Conversion of an amplified fragment length polymorphism marker into a co-dominant marker in the mapping of the Rph15 gene conferring resistance to barley leaf rust, Puccinia hordei Otth.

Leaf rust, caused by Puccinia hordei, is an important disease afflicting barley (Hordeum vulgare) in many production regions of the world. The leaf rust resistance gene Rph15 was identified in an accession of wild barley (Hordeum vulgare subsp. spontaneum) and is one of the most broadly effective resistance genes known. Using amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) and simple sequence repeat markers, Rph15 was mapped to chromosome 2HS in an F2 population derived from a cross between Bowman (Rph15), a Bowman backcross-derived line carrying Rph15, and the susceptible cultivar Bowman. AFLP marker P13M40 co-segregated with Rph15 in this mapping population and two others involving Bowman (Rph15) and cultivars Proctor and Nudinka. The dominant AFLP marker P13M40 was converted to a co-dominant PCR-based marker that may be useful in breeding programs employing marker-assisted selection. The allelic relationship between Rph15 and the gene Rph16, also mapping to chromosome 2HS, was studied. The lack of segregation in F2 progeny derived from the two resistance sources indicates that Rph15 and Rph16 are alleles of the same locus.