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ARS Home » Plains Area » Fargo, North Dakota » Edward T. Schafer Agricultural Research Center » Sugarbeet Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #409991
Research Project: Improving Sugarbeet Productivity and Sustainability through Genetic, Genomic, Physiological, and Phytopathological Approaches

Location: Sugarbeet Research

Title: The complete and gapless genome of the sugarbeet pathogen Cercospora beticola

Author
item Wyatt, Nathan
item SPANNER, REBECCA - North Dakota State University
item Bolton, Melvin

Submitted to: PhytoFrontiers
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 11/27/2023
Publication Date: 2/26/2024
Citation: Wyatt, N.A., Spanner, R., Bolton, M.D. 2023. The complete and gapless genome of the sugarbeet pathogen Cercospora beticola. PhytoFrontiers. https://doi.org/10.1094/PHYTOFR-11-23-0146-A.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1094/PHYTOFR-11-23-0146-A

Interpretive Summary: Cercospora leaf spot (CLS), caused by the fungal pathogen Cercospora beticola, is a destructive disease across all sugarbeet production regions in the United States. Past research has focused on how the pathogen infects its host and adapts to management practices such as fungicides and resistant host varieties. However, such research requires robust genomic resources, which are currently unavailable for C. beticola. In this work, we assembled and annotated a complete and gapless genome for the reference C. beticola isolate and deposited this resource in a public database. This new resource will serve as the foundation for future research in disease management of this destructive pathogen and opens new research avenues into comparative genomics in C. beticola and other fungal pathogen species.

Technical Abstract: Cercospora beticola, causal agent of Cercospora leaf spot (CLS) of Beta vulgaris L., is an economically damaging pathogen and the primary biotic stress for Beta vulgaris L. production. Despite the global importance of this pathogen, significant knowledge gaps exist pertaining to pathogen virulence and adaptation to management practices that include the use of resistant host varieties and the application of fungicide chemistries. Hindering research progression is the lack of genomic resources available for C. beticola that are limited to a single reference genome that remains incomplete. Here we report the complete and gapless genome assembly and annotation of the reference C. beticola isolate Cb09-40. We identified miss assemblies in the previous reference genome and annotated previously missing protein coding genes. This work establishes a high-quality reference genome that can serve as the foundation for future comparative genomic, population genetic, and evolutionary studies into the virulence and evolution of this important plant pathogen.