Orobanche foetida Poir. is a holoparasite plant that attacks crop legumes in Tunisia and mainly faba bean considered as the most economically important pulse. Indeed, the species O. foetida devoid of chlorophyll parasitizes faba bean roots and is totally depending on it for its growth by extracting nutrient and water. This parasite limits seriously crop cultivation and causes severe damage in several important regions of the North-West of the country reaching until 90% yield losses on faba bean. The spread of this parasite worldwide is considered as a real threat. Therefore, understanding the genetic diversity and population structure of parasite populations represent the first step in launching breeding programs and developing new faba bean resistant varieties. In this work, the use of the challenging Next Generation Sequencing technology RADseq gives good and accurate evaluation of genetic diversity and genetic structure of the O. foetida populations. Thus, this study will allow us to test the possible correlation between genetic diversity and parasitic potential of O. foetida in Tunisia. Hence, we will be able to develop an accurate strategy to control and to manage the spread of this parasite in Tunisia and worldwide.
Less...