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STRIPE RUST, CAUSED BY THE FUNGAL PATHOGEN PUCCINIA STRIIFORMIS F.SP. TRITICI, IS A DEVASTATING DISEASE OF WHEAT THAT RESULTS IN SEASONAL EPIDEMICS WORLDWIDE. OVER THE LAST 50 YEARS, THE GEOGRAPHIC RANGE AND SEVERITY OF THE INFECTIONS HAVE INCREASED, CURRENTLY RENDERING 88% OF THE WORLDWIDE PRODUCTION AREA VULNERABLE. NEWER ISOLATES OF STRIPE RUST HAVE A WIDER GEOGRAPHIC RANGE, NOW INCLUDING WARMER AND DRIER CONDITIONS. CLIMATE CHANGE THREATENS TO EXACERBATE THIS VULNERABILITY WELL INTO THE FUTURE. RACE-SPECIFIC DISEASE RESISTANCE GENES HAVE PROVEN TO BE AN EFFECTIVE DISEASE CONTROL IN PLANTS. HOWEVER, SUCH RESISTANCE CAN BE RAPIDLY BROKEN AS NEW PATHOGEN VARIANTS ARISE. UNDERSTANDING THE SOURCES OF BROAD-SPECTRUM RESISTANCE AND FINE TUNING OF ACTIVATION OF IMMUNE PATHWAYS IS AN UNDEREXPLORED AREA OF DEVELOPING LONG-LASTING DISEASE RESISTANCE IN OUR CROPS.WE HAVE UNIQUE GENETIC MATERIAL OF INDUCED RESISTANCE IN WHEAT THAT WE CAN USE TO STUDY ACTIVATION OF BROAD-SPECTRUM RESISTANCE ANDCOMPREHENSIVELY CHARACTERIZE ITS EFFECT ON YIELD AND ITS INTERACTION WITH THE ENVIRONMENT, INCLUDING TEMPERATURE AND OTHER PATHOGENS. WE WILL CONDUCT THESE STUDIES DIRECTLY IN THE FIELD AS WELL AS UNDER LABORATORY CONDITIONS. WE WILL ALSO DENTIFICATY THE CHANGES IN GENES THAT ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR BOOSTING WHEAT IMMUNITY USING LATEST GENOME SEQUENCING AND COMPUTATIONAL TECHNOLOGIES. OUR CONTROLLED MANIPULATION OF IMMUNITY ACTIVATION BY COMBINING GENETIC DIVERSITY AND SYNTHETIC BIOLOGY WILL HELP TO ENGINEER PLANTS WITH ROBUST PATHOGEN RESPONSE AND MITIGATE TRADEOFFS WITH OTHER STRESS RESPONSES.THE PROPOSED WORK WILL PROVIDE NEW SOURCES OF RESISTANCE TO COMBAT YELLOW RUST. WHEAT BREEDERS AND GROWERS WILL BENEFIT FROM THE GENETIC MATERIAL AND MARKERS WE WILL PRODUCE TO INCORPORATE NEW DISEASE RESISTANCE LOCI INTO HIGH YIELDING WHEAT VARIETIES. AS OUR METHODS ARE GENERALLY APPLICABLE TO ACCELERATING DISCOVERY OF WHEAT TRAITS FROM FORWARD GENETIC SCREENS, THEY CAN BE APPLIED TO GENERAL WHEATIMPROVEMENT, INCLUDING ABIOTIC STRESS TOLERANCE AND YIELD IMPROVEMENT. WE WILL DEVELOP WORKSHOPS FOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS AND TEACHERS CENTERED AT THE THEME OF 'PLANT HEALTH' AND DEMONSTRATE HOW THE NEWEST GENOME SEQUENCING TECHNOLOGIES CAN BE USED TO CREATE PERSONALIZED MEDICINE FOR OUR CROPS.

$880,613FY2021National Institute of Food and AgricultureUSDA

Regents Of The University Of California, The

Investigators

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STRIPE RUST, CAUSED BY THE FUNGAL PATHOGEN PUCCINIA STRIIFORMIS F.SP. TRITICI, IS A DEVASTATING DISEASE OF WHEAT THAT RESULTS IN SEASONAL EPIDEMICS WORLDWIDE. OVER THE LAST 50 YEARS, THE GEOGRAPHIC RANGE AND SEVERITY OF THE INFECTIONS HAVE INCREASED, CURRENTLY RENDERING 88% OF THE WORLDWIDE PRODUCTION AREA VULNERABLE. NEWER ISOLATES OF STRIPE RUST HAVE A WIDER GEOGRAPHIC RANGE, NOW INCLUDING WARMER AND DRIER CONDITIONS. CLIMATE CHANGE THREATENS TO EXACERBATE THIS VULNERABILITY WELL INTO THE FUTURE. RACE-SPECIFIC DISEASE RESISTANCE GENES HAVE PROVEN TO BE AN EFFECTIVE DISEASE CONTROL IN PLANTS. HOWEVER, SUCH RESISTANCE CAN BE RAPIDLY BROKEN AS NEW PATHOGEN VARIANTS ARISE. UNDERSTANDING THE SOURCES OF BROAD-SPECTRUM RESISTANCE AND FINE TUNING OF ACTIVATION OF IMMUNE PATHWAYS IS AN UNDEREXPLORED AREA OF DEVELOPING LONG-LASTING DISEASE RESISTANCE IN OUR CROPS.WE HAVE UNIQUE GENETIC MATERIAL OF INDUCED RESISTANCE IN WHEAT THAT WE CAN USE TO STUDY ACTIVATION OF BROAD-SPECTRUM RESISTANCE ANDCOMPREHENSIVELY CHARACTERIZE ITS EFFECT ON YIELD AND ITS INTERACTION WITH THE ENVIRONMENT, INCLUDING TEMPERATURE AND OTHER PATHOGENS. WE WILL CONDUCT THESE STUDIES DIRECTLY IN THE FIELD AS WELL AS UNDER LABORATORY CONDITIONS. WE WILL ALSO DENTIFICATY THE CHANGES IN GENES THAT ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR BOOSTING WHEAT IMMUNITY USING LATEST GENOME SEQUENCING AND COMPUTATIONAL TECHNOLOGIES. OUR CONTROLLED MANIPULATION OF IMMUNITY ACTIVATION BY COMBINING GENETIC DIVERSITY AND SYNTHETIC BIOLOGY WILL HELP TO ENGINEER PLANTS WITH ROBUST PATHOGEN RESPONSE AND MITIGATE TRADEOFFS WITH OTHER STRESS RESPONSES.THE PROPOSED WORK WILL PROVIDE NEW SOURCES OF RESISTANCE TO COMBAT YELLOW RUST. WHEAT BREEDERS AND GROWERS WILL BENEFIT FROM THE GENETIC MATERIAL AND MARKERS WE WILL PRODUCE TO INCORPORATE NEW DISEASE RESISTANCE LOCI INTO HIGH YIELDING WHEAT VARIETIES. AS OUR METHODS ARE GENERALLY APPLICABLE TO ACCELERATING DISCOVERY OF WHEAT TRAITS FROM FORWARD GENETIC SCREENS, THEY CAN BE APPLIED TO GENERAL WHEATIMPROVEMENT, INCLUDING ABIOTIC STRESS TOLERANCE AND YIELD IMPROVEMENT. WE WILL DEVELOP WORKSHOPS FOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS AND TEACHERS CENTERED AT THE THEME OF 'PLANT HEALTH' AND DEMONSTRATE HOW THE NEWEST GENOME SEQUENCING TECHNOLOGIES CAN BE USED TO CREATE PERSONALIZED MEDICINE FOR OUR CROPS. · GrantIndex