Turkish Journal of Botany
Abstract
Grape (Vitis vinifera L.) is an economically important fruit that is both consumed fresh from the vine and used in the production of raisins, wine, and vinegar. One of the main factors limiting grape production is gray mold, caused by the fungal pathogen Botrytis cinerea. The cultivation of mold-resistant grape cultivars represents the most effective strategy for disease management; however, molecular tools to aid in the breeding of B. cinerea-resistant grapes remain limited. The present study maps the quantitative trait loci (QTLs) associated with B. cinerea resistance in grape using an F1 population derived from a reciprocal cross between the “Yalova İncisi” and “Kyoho” cultivars. A high-density genetic linkage map was constructed using 5831 single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers and 350 simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers, spanning all 19 grape chromosomes. Subsequently, four major QTLs were identified on chromosomes 2, 14, and 18, three of which (Bc2.1, Bc18.5, and Bc18.3) contained candidate genes involved in resistance to biotic stress. Furthermore, a cleaved amplified polymorphic sequence (CAPS) marker—SNP2—was developed, showing 74% concordance with classical phenotyping for resistance linked to the Bc18.5 locus on chromosome 18. This is the first study to map QTLs controlling B. cinerea resistance, and to develop CAPS markers for marker-assisted selection (MAS) in grape breeding. The QTLs identified here can be considered valuable targets supporting the future development of molecular breeding tools.
Author ORCID Identifier
İLKNUR POLAT: 0000-0001-9841-847X
İBRAHİM ÇELİK: 0000-0002-6205-0930
ONUR ERGÖNÜL: 0000-0002-2251-426X
ASLI POLAT: 0000-0001-9326-7115
İLKER KURBETLİ: 0000-0001-8991-4412
GÖRKEM SÜLÜ: 0000-0003-4729-8310
AYFER DALDAL: 0000-0002-9072-1164
HALİL İBRAHİM UZUN: 0000-0001-9725-2009
DOI
10.55730/1300-008X.2900
Keywords
CAPS marker, disease resistance, gray mold, linkage group, MAS, Vitis vinifera L.
First Page
260
Last Page
271
Publisher
The Scientific and Technological Research Council of Türkiye (TÜBİTAK)
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Recommended Citation
POLAT, İ, ÇELİK, İ, ERGÖNÜL, O, POLAT, A, KURBETLİ, İ, SÜLÜ, G, DALDAL, A, & UZUN, H (2026). Identification of QTLs and molecular markers associated with gray mold resistance in grape. Turkish Journal of Botany 50 (3): 260-271. https://doi.org/10.55730/1300-008X.2900
