Location: Horticultural Crops Disease and Pest Management Research Unit
Project Number: 2072-22000-046-012-S
Project Type: Non-Assistance Cooperative Agreement
Start Date: Sep 1, 2020
End Date: Aug 31, 2025
Objective:
1. Screen for diversity of fungal pathogen species and populations.
2. Examine incidence of fungicide resistance.
3. Characterize hormesis responses.
Approach:
1. Plant pathogens, such as Phytophthora, will be sampled from plants grown in controlled environments such as nurseries and greenhouses in 2020 and 2021. Pathogens will be cultured and identified to species. Populations will be characterized using DNA sequence and genetic markers.
2. Fungicide resistance will be examined in pathogen populations identified in 2021 and 2022 by growing cultures on fungicide amended media. Pathogen strains will be identified as resistant or sensitive to fungicides.
3. Pathogens will be examined for hormesis in 2021 and 2022. Pathogens will be grown on fungicide amended plates at very low fungicide doses to determine if there is a fungicide concentration that stimulates growth. Pathogens will be grown at a stimulatory dose and compared to nonamended controls. Messenger RNA will be extracted, sequenced and compared between treatments.
