ArchiGenet PLAN ALLIANCE

The use of resistant crop varieties is an effective and sustainable strategy for controlling plant diseases. However, resistance breakdown frequently occurs in modern agricultural systems, threatening food security. In contrast, natural ecosystems limit epidemics through high host genetic diversity. Strategies such as gene pyramiding, cultivar mixtures, and crop rotations aim to mimic this diversity by exploiting pathogen adaptation costs. Their successful implementation requires deciphering the genetic architecture of plant-pathogen interactions, including the quantitative trait loci (QTL) and epistatic interactions that underlie pathogen adaptation to different host genotypes. Despite advances in high-throughput sequencing, these genetic architectures remain poorly understood. This project will characterize them in the melon-watermelon mosaic virus (WMV) pathosystem using innovative experimental and natural co-GWAS approaches. The results will identify new resistance genes and improve predictive models to optimize resistance deployment strategies for sustainable disease management.