Location: Wheat Health, Genetics, and Quality Research
Project Number: 2090-22000-017-002-S
Project Type: Non-Assistance Cooperative Agreement
Start Date: Jun 1, 2015
End Date: May 31, 2020
Objective:
The objectives of this cooperative research are to: 1) genotypically and phenotypically characterize plant pathogens that cause diseases of crops grown in cereal-based cropping systems, 2) to genotypically and phenotypically characterize beneficial microbes that suppress plant diseases and analyze the microbiomes of plants in these cropping systems, and 3) to determine the molecular genetic and biochemical basis of plant-microbe interactions and plant defense.
Approach:
Plant pathogens and their biocontrol agents will be characterized through a combination of molecular fingerprinting techniques, whole genome sequencing and methods of classical plant pathology and microbiology. The population structures of pathogens and biocontrol agents will be determined by analysis of DNA banding patterns generated by techniques such as rep-PCR, RFLPs, and AFLPs, by sequence analysis of 16S rDNA and key genes, by multi-locus sequence analysis, and by whole genome sequencing. Microbial communities in soil and root microbiomes will be analyzed using next-generation sequencing techniques. Results of genotypic and phenotypic analyses will be compared. Plant-microbe interactions will be characterized using a combination of laboratory, greenhouse and field studies, and molecular genetic and bioanalytical tools. Biologically active metabolites produced by pathogens and antagonists will be characterized using techniques such as high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and mass spectrometry.
