GENOMIC APPROACHES TO THE IDENTIFICATION OF FUNGAL PLANT PATHOGENS AND UNDERSTANDING HOST DEFENSE RESPONSE

Fusarium, Phytophthora and Magnaporthe are three of the most important genera of plant disease-causing microorganisms. Confounding solutions to the problems they case, which range from Fusarium Head Blight of wheat and barley to late blight of potato, is our lack of knowledge about their global diversity, and a lack of available tools that catalog and organize what we do know about it. This project seeks to provide 1) a DNA-based classification and identification system for Fusarium and Phytophthora diversity using molecular phylogenetics and 2) data and basic information about the fungi via the internet that is useful for frontline researchers dealing with problems caused by these organisms. In addition, we focus on the molecular basis of one of the world's most important plant diseases, rice blast caused by Magnaporthe oryzae, to elucidate the basic aspects of how the fungus and plant interact, with a focus on how the plant responds and defends itself against the pathogen.