A combined - omics approach to understanding pathogenicity and plant-resistance to Fusarium diseases of legume crops.
Legumes play a vital role in food security, a major protein source in diet and improving soil health through nitrogen fixation. However, plant disease is a major limiting factor to yield across legume species. The fungal pathogen Fusarium oxysporum shows host adaptation across legume crops, possessing accessory chromosomes that confer pathogenicity to particular plant hosts. Genome sequencing across a range of legume pathogens will be used to identify origin and evolution of Fusarium pathogenicity chromosomes. Transcriptomic and proteomic approaches will be used to identify key fungal proteins involved in infection and the plant resistance proteins distinguishing resistant from susceptible cultivars.
Disciplines and Techniques
Project supervisor/s
Andrew Armitage
Agriculture Health and Environment (https://www.nri.org/people/armitage-andrew)
University of Greenwich Natural Resources Institute (NRI)
Laurence Bindschedler
Biological Sciences (http://tinyurl.com/Bindsch-group-RHUL)
University of London
References
Characterisation of pathogen specific regions and novel effector candidates in Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cepae
Scientific Reports
2018
Basal Rot of Narcissus: Understanding Pathogenicity in Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. narcissi
Frontiers
2019
Genomics Evolutionary History and Diagnostics of the Alternaria alternata Species Group Including Apple and Asian Pear Pathotypes
Frontiers
2020
Analysis of Barley Leaf Epidermis and Extrahaustorial Proteomes During Powdery Mildew Infection Reveals That the PR5 Thaumatin-Like Protein TLP5 Is Required for Susceptibility Towards Blumeria graminis f. sp. hordei
Frontiers
2019