Skip to main content
ARS Home » Northeast Area » Beltsville, Maryland (BARC) » Beltsville Agricultural Research Center » Mycology and Nematology Genetic Diversity and Biology Laboratory » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #370743
Research Project: Enhancing Plant Protection through Fungal Systematics

Location: Mycology and Nematology Genetic Diversity and Biology Laboratory

Title: Genome resources for Thelonectria rubi, the causal agent of Nectria canker of caneberry

Author
item SKALTSAS, DEMETRA - Orise Fellow
item Salgado-Salazar, Catalina

Submitted to: Phytopathology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/3/2020
Publication Date: 2/10/2020
Citation: Skaltsas, D.N., Salgado-Salazar, C. 2020. Genome resources for Thelonectria rubi, the causal agent of Nectria canker of caneberry. Phytopathology. 110(4):723-725. https://doi.org/10.1094/PHYTO-12-19-0466-A.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1094/PHYTO-12-19-0466-A

Interpretive Summary: Fungi in the family Nectriaceae cause a variety of widespread and destructive plant diseases but relatively few genomes are available for study. The fungus Thelonectria rubi causes an important disease of raspberry and blackberry. In this study, a high quality genome sequence was generated for T. rubi. This is the first genome sequence for this genus of pathogenic fungi. The results of this study are important because they will allow plant breeders and plant pathologists to better understand the disease it causes. Plant pathologists, quarantine officials and other scientists will be able to use the DNA sequences generated in this study to develop better strategies for the control, detection and identification of this important plant pathogen.

Technical Abstract: Thelonectria rubi is the causal agent of Nectria canker of Rubus spp. Here, we report a high-quality draft genome sequence for this pathogen, which also represents the first genome sequence for a Thelonectria species. The genome assembly was 44.6 Mb in size, assembled into 669 scaffolds and consisting of 12,973 predicted protein-coding genes. The availability of genome data for T. rubi provides a critical additional resource for an important plant pathogen and will be useful for fungal biology, comparative genomic, taxonomic and population studies of this and related species.