Quantification of selected pathogens of the root-rot complex of pea using qPCR

Pea (P. sativum) is a valuable protein source for human food and animal feed and is the most important grain legume in agriculture of temperate climate zones. Pea cultivation is severely impeded due to a high susceptibility to soil-borne fungal pathogens. As part of the research project “resPEAact” (Doctoral Thesis of Lukas Wille), over 300 pea accessionss were screened under controlled conditions for resistance on a naturally infested field soil. Previous work showed an accumulation of pea specific fungal an oomycotan pathogens. The aim of future experiments of this project is to estimate if certain pea accessionss with different susceptibility levels show variation in the composition of pathogen and potential antagonists in the rhizosphere.