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A QTL analysis was performed to determine the genetic basis of 13 horticultural traits conditioning yield in pepper (Capsicum annuum). The mapping population was a large population of 297 recombinant inbred lines (RIL) originating from a cross between the large-fruited bell pepper cultivar 'Yolo Wonder' and the small-fruited chilli pepper 'Criollo de Morelos 334'. A total of 76 QTLs were detected for 13 fruit and plant traits, grouped in 28 chromosome regions. These QTLs explained together between 7% (internode growth time) and 91% (fruit diameter) of the phenotypic variation. The QTL analysis was also performed on two subsets of 141 and 93 RILs sampled using the MapPop software. The smaller populations allowed for the detection of a reduced set of QTLs and reduced the overall percentage of trait variation explained by QTLs. The frequency of false positives as well as the individual effect of QTLs increased in reduced population sets as a result of reduced sampling. The results from the QTL analysis permitted an overall glance over the genetic architecture of traits considered by breeders for selection. Colinearities between clusters of QTLs controlling fruit traits and/or plant development in distinct pepper species and in related solanaceous crop species (tomato and eggplant) suggests that shared mechanisms control the shape and growth of different organs throughout these species.

Germplasm collections of cultivated plants constitute the source for further genetic progress. These collections gained further interest with approaches for tracking allelic variants associated to phenotypic variations within core collections. In order to explore the structure of genetic variation in pepper (Capsicum spp.) and to select core-collections maximizing the genetic and the phenotypic diversity, a pepper collection including 1,352 non redundant accessions from 11 Capsicum species from 89 different countries was genotyped using 28 microsatellite (SSR) markers spanning the whole genome. Model-based analysis structured the collection into 6 clusters, with 3 clusters separating the main species complexes, including cultivated species and wild relatives, according to taxonomic classification (C. frutescens/C. chinense, C. baccatum, C. pubescens), and 3 additional clusters for C. annuum. The relationships between the cultivated C. annuum species and the wild relative (C. annnuum var. glabriusculum) was precised. The 3 C. annuum clusters were significantly distinct for plant and fruit descriptors corresponding to cultivar types, showing that the genetic structure of this cultivated species was strongly impacted by the long term human selection of landraces in primary as well as secondary diversification centres. We settled nested core-collections of 8, 16, 32, 64 and 128 C. annuum accessions capturing from 37 to 90 % of the genetic diversity for further sequencing efforts and establishment of high throughput genotyping assays. By compiling phenotypic and genotypic data, a larger core-collection of 332 accessions was established, capturing 97 % of the C. annuum genetic and phenotypic diversity for further genetic association studies.

Description du sujet. Une approche système basée sur la co-conception et l’évaluation expérimentale in situ de prototypes de systèmes de culture (SDC) a été mise en œuvre dans le projet INRA « GeDuNem » pour une gestion durable des nématodes à galles (NG) dans les systèmes maraîchers sous abris. Objectifs. Il s’agissait (i) d’évaluer pendant quatre ans diverses stratégies de culture combinant résistances génétiques et pratiques culturales (rotations culturales incluant des plantes sensibles, résistantes et non-hôtes, gestion de l’interculture avec couvert végétal nématicide ou solarisation) pour réduire les populations de NG dans le sol et augmenter la durabilité des résistances variétales à ces bioagresseurs, (ii) d’étudier leur impact sur les communautés de nématodes rencontrées et (iii) d’évaluer l’acceptabilité des nouveaux SDC par les agriculteurs. Méthode. Trois prototypes de SDC, co-conçus entre acteurs de la recherche et ceux du développement, ont été comparés à des SDC appliqués classiquement en région méditerranéenne et évalués grâce à des dispositifs complémentaires : (i) expérimentations-système sur trois sites de producteurs du Sud de la France ; (ii) expérimentations analytiques pour approfondir les mécanismes d’action des leviers mobilisés ; (iii) enquêtes pour évaluer l’acceptabilité des prototypes par les agriculteurs. Résultats. Les trois SDC se sont révélés efficaces (90 % de réduction des NG, protection des Solanaceae à résistance partielle, pas d’effet négatif sur les nématodes non phytoparasites) et durables lorsque les conditions d’application et les équilibres biologiques du sol étaient favorables (nématofaune totale diversifiée et abondante). Leur degré d’acceptabilité dépendait du type d’exploitation et de la sensibilité des agriculteurs face à l’innovation. Conclusions. Ces nouveaux SDC doivent encore être améliorés, en interaction avec les producteurs, tant en termes d’efficacité, par l’introduction de nouveaux leviers agroécologiques, que de cout. Les recherches futures devront aussi s’ouvrir à la gestion plus globale de la santé des sols. Design and assessment of innovative Mediterranean vegetable cropping systems to manage root-knot nematodes Description of the subject. A system approach based on co-design and experimental field evaluation of cropping systems (CSs), combining technical and varietal innovations, has been implemented for sustainable management of root-knot nematodes (RKN) in Mediterranean sheltered vegetable systems. Objectives. Cropping systems combining genetic resistance and cultural practices (crop rotations including susceptible, resistant, and non-host plants; intercropping management with nematicidal cover crops or soil solarization) were assessed over a period of 4 years (i) to reduce RKN populations and increase the durability of varietal resistances, (ii) to study the impact of these systems on soil ecology (plant-parasitic and free-living nematode communities), and (iii) to evaluate their acceptability by farmers. Method. Three CS prototypes, resulting from a co-design process with research and development stakeholders, were compared with CSs conventionally implemented in the Mediterranean region. The three prototypes were also evaluated using complementary methods: (i) system experiments in three commercial farms in Southern France; (ii) analytical experiments to decipher the mechanisms of action for some [agroecological??] levers; (iii) surveys to evaluate the acceptability of the prototypes by farmers. Results. All three CSs were found to be effective (90% RKN decrease, protection of partially resistant Solanaceae, no negative effect on non-phytoparasitic nematodes) and sustainable, when application conditions and soil biological equilibrium were favorable (global soil nematofauna diversified and abundant). The acceptability of the three systems depended on the type of farm where they were implemented and the attitude of the farmers towards innovation. Conclusions. These three CSs still need to be improved, in terms of their efficiency, in consultation with participating farmers, by introducing new agroecological levers, as well as innovation costs. Future research will also need to open up to a more comprehensive management of soil health.

The pepper accession Criollo de Morelos 334 is the most efficient source of resistance currently known to Phytophthora capsici and P. parasitica. To investigate whether genetic controls of resistance to two Phytophthora species are independent, we compared the genetic architecture of resistance of CM334 to both Phytophthora species. The RIL population F5YC used to construct the high-resolution genetic linkage map of pepper was assessed for resistance to one isolate of each Phytophthora species. Inheritance of the P. capsici and P. parasitica resistance was polygenic. Twelve additive QTLs involved in the P. capsici resistance and 14 additive QTLs involved in the P. parasitica resistance were detected. The QTLs identified in this progeny were specific to these Phytophthora species. Comparative mapping analysis with literature data identified three colocations between resistance QTLs to P. parasitica and P. capsici in pepper. Whereas this result suggests presence of common resistance factors to the two Phytophthora species in pepper, which possibly derive from common ancestral genes, calculation of the colocation probability indicates that these colocations could occur by chance.

Plant genetic resources often constitute the foundation of successful breeding programs. Pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) is one of the most economically important and diversely utilized Solanaceous crop species worldwide, but less studied compared to tomato and potato. We developed and used molecular markers based on two copia-type retrotransposons, Tnt1 and T135, in a set of Capsicum species and wild relatives from diverse geographical origins. Results showed that Tnt1 and T135 insertion polymorphisms are very useful for studying genetic diversity and relationships within and among pepper species. Clusters of accessions correspond to cultivar types based on fruit shape, pungency, geographic origin and pedigree. Genetic diversity values, normally reflective of past transposition activity and population dynamics, showed positive correlation with the average number of insertions per accession. Similar evolutionary relationships are observed to that inferred by previous karyosystematics studies. These observations support the possibility that retrotransposons have contributed to genome inflation during Capsicum evolution