Oat Fungal Diseases and the Application of Molecular Marker Technology for Their Control

Oat (Avena sativa L.) is an important cereal crop that is grown worldwide, whose productivity is often affected by fungal diseases. The major fungal diseases limiting oat production are crown rust, stem rust, Fusarium head blight, and powdery mildew. Control of these diseases has been achieved mainly via host resistance genes, but frequent changes in pathogen virulence provide a continuing threat to oat production. The identification of molecular markers, mainly diversity array (DArT) and single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers, has enabled genetic mapping of disease resistance genes and quantitative trait loci (QTL). Markers linked to disease resistance genes have been used successfully in marker-assisted selection of disease resistant genotypes. In this chapter, we review genetic approaches to controlling the major fungal diseases of oat, and the role of molecular markers associated with genes important in crop improvement.