Illustration of disease symptoms caused by rust fungi on different host plants (photos by M. Catherine Aime)
Rust fungi are the largest group of plant pathogens. Different species cause disease on important food, timber and bioenergy crops. However, there are comparatively few genetic resources available for this group. The goal of the rust pangenomics project is to provide reference genomes for 50 rust species, including pathogens of JGI plant flagship species (e.g., poplar, soybean, foxtail millet, switchgrass) as well as others of interest (e.g. species currently causing global epidemics on coffee and eucalyptus). These data will eventually lead to development of better control of rust diseases.
Proposer: Sebastien Duplessis, INRA (France)
Proposal: Rust pangenomics: understanding the diversity and potential impact of rust fungi – a systematic collection of genomes & transcriptomes