War and Peas: Molecular Bases of Resistance to Powdery Mildew in Pea ( L.) and Other Legumes.

Grain legumes, or pulses, have many beneficial properties that make them potentially attractive to agriculture. However, the large-scale cultivation of legumes faces a number of difficulties, in particular the vulnerability of the currently available cultivars to various diseases that significantly impair yields and seed quality. One of the most dangerous legume pathogens is powdery mildew (a common name for parasitic fungi of the order Erisyphales). This review examines the methods of controlling powdery mildew that are used in modern practice, including fungicides and biological agents. Special attention is paid to the plant genetic mechanisms of resistance, which are the most durable, universal and environmentally friendly. The most studied legume plant in this regard is the garden pea ( L.), which possesses naturally occurring resistance conferred by mutations in the gene (), for which we list here all the known resistant alleles, including discovered by the authors of this review. Recent achievements in the genetics of resistance to powdery mildew in other legumes and prospects for the introduction of this resistance into other agriculturally important legume species are also discussed.