ABSTRACT: Reserch on the pathogen causing root rot on Phyllanthus emblica from the perspectives of identification, bionomics, fungicide sensitivity assay, and transcriptome analysis under different pH stress
Project description:This experiment is to assess the changes of maize genes expression in response to Fusarium graminearum stains wild-type PH-1 and Δcfem1 mutant. F. graminearum is the major casual fungal pathogen of Gibberella stalk rot on maize.
Project description:Plant roots secrete secondary metabolites to sense the enviroment around them. Among them, terpenes play a prominent role. Terpenes can have either fungistatic or fungicide action. However, their exact role in plant-host interactions is not fully understood. Verticillium longisporum is a soilborne pathogen causing disease in Brasicacae plants. In this project we investigated the transcriptomic changes of this species upon exposure to the β-pinene monoterpene in different time points 0hpi, 8hpi, 24hpi and 24hpi.
Project description:Across Canada, infections associated with Fusarium have a devastating impact on the agricultural sector. For example, Fusarium head blight (FHB) costs the Canadian grain industry over $1.5 billion annually in diminished export and domestic sales. For Ontario’s most productive and lucrative crops infection by Fusarium spp., leads to losses of over $200 million annually through yield reduction in corn (i.e., stalk and ear rot), cereals (i.e., FHB), and soybeans (i.e., root rot and sudden death syndrome). Additionally, mycotoxin production by Fusarium spp. (e.g., deoxynivalenol [DON]) has severe consequences for the livestock and poultry industries through consumption of contaminated feed, as well as concerns for human health upon consumption of contaminated processed grains. Current management strategies against FHB rely on fungicide application at heading, which reduces infection but does not limit the accumulation of dangerous mycotoxins within the grains. Moreover, such fungicide applications substantially increase the economic cost to growers, raise public concerns over chemical exposure, and contribute to the development of antimicrobial resistance. The critical role of Fusarium fungal pathogens and their toxins in the health of crops, livestock, and humans underscores the need for innovative strategies to better understand mechanisms of disease and identify novel management strategies to limit the incidence of infection and to critically, reduce the accumulation of mycotoxins within infected grains
