Detection of the potato cyst nematode resistance gene Hero A in Japanese tomato cultivars by the PCR-RFLP method

We developed polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) markers for the potato cyst nematode (PCN) resistance gene Hero A in tomato. Using these PCR-RFLP markers, we evaluated the presence of Hero A in 22 tomato cultivars. All cultivars displayed complete concordance between their PCN phenotype and the genotype as determined by PCR-RFLP. We confirmed that PCN-resistant tomato cultivars in Japan contained the Hero A gene, whereas susceptible cultivars did not. PCN is a highly important quarantine pest, and the PCR-RFLP markers for Hero A provide a means of testing for resistance without the need to use live nematodes.