Molecular markers for Ve1 and Ve2 Verticillium resistance genes from Italian tomato germplasm

The so‐called Rosa (= pink) tomatoes, which are typically grown in the Southern Italian area, are characterized by the pink colour of the fruit, due to the gene y, colourless fruit skin. In a preliminary survey, it was found that among these Rosa tomatoes there were some ‘Rosa di Sorrento’ local landraces showing resistance to Verticillium wilt (race 1). In tomato, resistance to race 1 of V. dahliae and V. albo‐atrum is conferred by two strictly associated genes, Ve1 and Ve2, which independently confer resistance to the same pathogen. The development of two new markers for Ve1 and Ve2, based respectively on selective allele‐specific PCR amplification and on a PCR amplification followed by enzymatic restriction, is reported. These two markers allow the identification of both allelic forms at the Ve loci and they are of potential interest for use in marker‐assisted selection. Furthermore, ‘Rosa di Sorrento’‐resistant lines have the same resistance alleles as those found in the Ve‐resistant cultivars.