Location: Wheat Health, Genetics, and Quality Research
Project Number: 2090-22000-019-010-S
Project Type: Non-Assistance Cooperative Agreement
Start Date: Jul 1, 2023
End Date: Jun 30, 2028
Objective:
The objectives of this cooperative research are to: 1) Identify and characterize genotypically and phenotypically soilborne plant pathogens, of crops grown in cereal-based cropping systems of the Pacific Northwest, 2) Identify and genotypically and phenotypically characterize beneficial microorganisms that suppress plant pathogens, 3) Characterize the microbiomes of plants grown in cereal-based cropping systems, and 4) Characterize 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 sequence analysis of 16S rDNA and other key genes, multi-locus sequence analysis, and genome sequencing and classical methods of plant pathology and microbiology. Soil and rhizosphere microbiomes will be analyzed using Next-Generation sequencing. 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 and antibiotics produced by pathogens and antagonists will be characterized by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and mass spectrometry.
