Enhanced disease resistance of maize to northern corn leaf blight by a qtl on chromosome 4

A method for generating a maize plant, preferably a maize plant having increased pathogen resistance and/or tolerance, or a part thereof, preferably wherein said pathogen is Exserohilum turcicum, comprising

• mutating endogenous Zm00001d049121 to a sequence encoding a sequence as set forth in SEQ ID NO:
• 2 or a sequence having an identity of at least 98.5%, 98.6%, 98.7%, 98.8%, 98.9%, 99%, 99.1%, 99.2%, 99.3%, 99.4%, 99.5%, 99.6%, 99.7%, 99.8% or 99.9% to a sequence as set forth in SEQ ID NO:
• 2, preferably over the entire length of the sequence;
• mutating endogenous Zm00001d049113 to a sequence encoding a sequence as set forth in SEQ ID NO:
• 4 or a sequence having an identity of at least 98.5%, 98.6%, 98.7%, 98.8%, 98.9%, 99%, 99.1%, 99.2%, 99.3%, 99.4%, 99.5%, 99.6%, 99.7%, 99.8% or 99.9% to a sequence as set forth in SEQ ID NO:
• 4, preferably over the entire length of the sequence;
• mutating endogenous Zm00001d049145 to a sequence encoding a sequence as set forth in SEQ ID NO:
• 6 or a sequence having an identity of at least 98.5%, 98.6%, 98.7%, 98.8%, 98.9%, 99%, 99.1%, 99.2%, 99.3%, 99.4%, 99.5%, 99.6%, 99.7%, 99.8% or 99.9% to a sequence as set forth in SEQ ID NO:
• 6, preferably over the entire length of the sequence;
• mutating endogenous Zm00001d049148 to a sequence encoding a sequence as set forth in SEQ ID NO:
• 8 or a sequence having an identity of at least 98.5%, 98.6%, 98.7%, 98.8%, 98.9%, 99%, 99.1%, 99.2%, 99.3%, 99.4%, 99.5%, 99.6%, 99.7%, 99.8% or 99.9% to a sequence as set forth in SEQ ID NO:
• 8, preferably over the entire length of the sequence;
• and/or
• mutating endogenous Zm00001d049159 to a sequence encoding a sequence as set forth in SEQ ID NO:
• 10 or a sequence having an identity of at least 98.5%, 98.6%, 98.7%, 98.8%, 98.9%, 99%, 99.1%, 99.2%, 99.3%, 99.4%, 99.5%, 99.6%, 99.7%, 99.8% or 99.9% to a sequence as set forth in SEQ ID NO:
• 10, preferably over the entire length of the sequence.

An isolated polynucleic acid comprising a coding sequence selected from SEQ ID NOs:

• 1, 3, 5, 7, 9 and 38 or which is at least 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 98.5%, 98.6%, 98.7%, 98.8%, 98.9%, 99%, 99.1%, 99.2%, 99.3%, 99.4%, 99.5%, 99.6%, 99.7%, 99.8% or 99.9% identical, preferably over its entire length, to a sequence of any of SEQ ID NOs:
• 1, 3, 5, 7, 9 and 38;
• or which encodes a polypeptide selected from SEQ ID NOs:
• 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 and 39 or a polypeptide which is at least 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 98.5%, 98.6%, 98.7%, 98.8%, 98.9%, 99%, 99.1%, 99.2%, 99.3%, 99.4%, 99.5%, 99.6%, 99.7%, 99.8% or 99.9% identical, preferably over its entire length, to a sequence of any of SEQ ID NOs:
• 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 and 39.