FUNGAL PLANT PATHOGENS IN THE GENUS CALONECTRIA CAUSE DEVASTATING DISEASES ON A WIDE RANGE OF ECONOMICALLY IMPORTANT HORTICULTURAL AND AGRONOMIC CROPS. IN PARTICULAR, THE RECENT GLOBAL EMERGENCE AND SPREAD OF THE FUNGAL PATHOGENS CALONECTRIA HENRICOTIAE AND C, PSEUDONAVICULATA HAS BECOME A LIMITING FACTOR FOR THE PRODUCTION OF HIGH-VALUE BOXWOOD PLANTS. A MAJOR CONSTRAINT IN CONTROLLING THESE FUNGAL PLANT PATHOGENS IS THAT THE GENETIC BASIS OF PLANT INFECTION IS VERY POORLY UNDERSTOOD. THE PURPOSE OF THIS PROJECT IS TO ANALYZE GENOMIC DATA FROM FUNGAL PLANT PATHOGENS IN THE GENUS CALONECTRIA TO IDENTIFY GENES THAT PLAY A ROLE IN PLANT HOST INFECTION, WITH PARTICULAR EMPHASIS ON THE TWO PATHOGENS C. HENRICOTIAE AND C. PSEUDONAVICULATA. THIS NEW KNOWLEDGE HAS POTENTIAL TO REDUCE NEGATIVE IMPACTS OF DISEASES CAUSED BY THESE FUNGI BY IMPROVING BASIC UNDERSTANDING OF PATHOGEN BIOLOGY AND PROVIDING BREEDERS NEW TOOLS TO DEVELOP DISEASE RESISTANCE PLANTS.