For bean production in the Willamette Valley, perhaps one of the most obvious objectives is resistance to white mold (Sclerotinia) since this pathogen is difficult to control using chemicals and no native resistance has been found in the common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris). It has been shown that the production of oxalic acid by the fungus Sclerotinia is the primary cause of pathogenicity. If the oxalic acid can be degraded rapidly by the plant, the symptom can be alleviated or the infection inhibited.
OBJECTIVES:
- To construct a transformation cassette consisting of the promoter, the oxalate oxidase gene and a selectable trait.
- To deliver the gene to beans, achieve stable expression and evaluate response to Sclerotinia.
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