Polynucleotides and methods for making plants resistant to fungal pathogens

Abstract

This invention relates to polynucleotide sequences encoding a gene that can confer resistance to the plant pathogen Colletotrichum , which causes anthracnose stalk rot, leaf blight and top dieback in corn and other cereals. It further relates to plants and seeds of plants carrying chimeric genes comprising said polynucleotide sequences, which enhance or confer resistance to the plant pathogen Colletotrichum , and processes of making said plants and seeds. The invention further presents sequences that can be used as molecular markers that in turn can be used to identify the region of interest in corn lines resulting from new crosses and to quickly and efficiently introgress the gene from corn lines carrying said gene into other corn lines that do not carry said gene, in order to make them resistant to Colletotrichum and resistant to stalk rot.

1 . Corn seed comprising a first MP305 derived chromosomal interval defined by BNLG2162 and UMC1051, and not comprising a second MP305 derived chromosomal interval above BNLG2162 or below UMC1051.  
     
     
         2 . The corn seed of  claim 1 , wherein said corn seed comprises the Rcg1 gene and, when grown, produces a corn plant that exhibits resistance to  Colletotrichum  infection.  
     
     
         3 . A plant produced from the corn seed of  claim 2 .  
     
     
         4 . A plant cell of the plant of  claim 3 .  
     
     
         5 . Corn seed comprising a first MP305 derived chromosomal interval between, but not including, MZA15842 and UMC15a, and not comprising a second MP305 derived chromosomal interval at or above MZA15842 or at or below UMC15a.  
     
     
         6 . The corn seed of  claim 5 , wherein said corn seed comprises the Rcg1 gene and, when grown, produces a corn plant that exhibits resistance to  Colletotrichum  infection.  
     
     
         7 . A plant produced from the corn seed of  claim 6 .  
     
     
         8 . A plant cell of the plant of  claim 7 .  
     
     
         9 . Seed of a corn variety designated DE811ASR(BC5), or a progeny seed derived therefrom that comprises the Rcg1 gene, that when grown, produces a plant that exhibits enhanced or newly conferred resistance to  Colletotrichum  infection.  
     
     
         10 . The seed of  claim 9 , wherein a representative sample of said corn variety DE811ASR(BC5) has been deposited as ATCC accession number PTA-7434.  
     
     
         11 . A plant produced from the seed of  claim 10 .  
     
     
         12 . A plant cell of the plant of  claim 11 .  
     
     
         13 . The progeny seed of  claim 9 , wherein said progeny seed retains a first MP305 or DE811ASR(BC5) derived chromosomal interval within, but not including, UMC2285 and UMC15a.  
     
     
         14 . The progeny seed of  claim 9 , wherein said progeny seed retains a first MP305 or DE811ASR(BC5) derived chromosomal interval within, but not including, MZA15842 and UMC15a.  
     
     
         15 . A plant produced from the seed of  claim 14 .  
     
     
         16 . A plant cell of the plant of  claim 15 .  
     
     
         17 . The progeny seed of  claim 14 , wherein the progeny seed is an Rcg1 locus conversion of PH705, PH5W4, PH51K or PH87P, or a progeny thereof.  
     
     
         18 . The progeny seed of  claim 9 , wherein the progeny seed comprises at least two or more of (a) allele 7 at MZA11123, (b) allele 2 at MZA2591, or (c) allele 8 at MZA3434.  
     
     
         19 . A corn plant produced by the progeny seed of  claim 18 .  
     
     
         20 . The progeny seed of  claim 9 , wherein the progeny seed comprises a cytosine nucleotide at MZA2591.32, a thymine nucleotide at MZA2591.35, and a cytosine nucleotide at MZA3434.17.  
     
     
         21 . A corn plant produced by the progeny seed of  claim 20.