** AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** WITH ANY NEW DISEASE OUTBREAK, FAST IDENTIFICATION OF THE RESPONSIBLE PATHOGEN IS ESSENTIAL SO THAT THE SPREAD OF THE DISEASE CAN BE SLOWED DOWN OR EVEN STOPPED TO TRY TO PREVENT NEW EPIDEMICS AND PANDEMICS. HIGH THROUGHPUT SEQUENCING TECHNOLOGY HAS REVOLUTIONIZED PATHOGEN IDENTIFICATION USING THE ENTIRE DNA OF THE PATHOGENS, IN OTHER WORDS, THEIR ENTIRE GENOMES. HOWEVER, THIS TECHNOLOGY CAN ONLY REACH ITS FULL POTENTIAL WHEN COUPLED WITH EFFICIENT COMPUTER PROGRAMS AND COMPREHENSIVE DATABASES OF GENOMES OF ALREADY KNOWN PATHOGENS. THEREFORE, TO BETTER PROTECT US AND WORLD AGRICULTURE FROM FUNGAL DISEASES, THIS PROJECT HAS THE GOAL TO ADAPT A WEBSITE THAT WAS ORIGINALLY ESTABLISHED FOR IDENTIFICATION OF BACTERIA TO INCLUDE FUNGI. FUNGI REPRESENT THE ECONOMICALLY MOST IMPORTANT PLANT PATHOGENS AND GENOME-BASED IDENTIFICATION OF FUNGI IS STILL CHALLENGING BECAUSE THEIR GENOMES ARE MUCH LARGER THAN THOSE OF BACTERIA. TO IMPROVE IDENTIFICATION OF FUNGI, WE WILL: 1. ORGANIZE KNOWN FUNGAL GENOMES BY THEIR RECIPROCAL SIMILARITY TO ALLOW FOR FAST AND PRECISE GENOME-BASED IDENTIFICATION OF NEW FUNGAL STRAINS, 2. ADAPT A CURRENT WEBSITE THAT WAS DESIGNED FOR IDENTIFICATION OF BACTERIA SO IT CAN BE USES WITH FUNGI AS WELL, 3. DEVELOP COMPUTATIONAL TOOLS SO THAT THE RESULTS FROM AIMS 1 AND 2 CAN BE USED FOR THE IDENTIFICATION OF FUNGI WITHOUT THE NEED OF ISOLATING THEM IN PURE CULTURES. FINALLY, PLANT PATHOLOGISTS WILL BE TRAINED IN THE USE OF THE DEVELOPED RESOURCES TO ACCELERATE ADOPTION OF GENOME-BASED IDENTIFICATION OF FUNGAL PATHOGENS BY DIAGNOSTICIANS IN ACADEMIA, GOVERNMENT, AND INDUSTRY TO INCREASE AGRICULTURAL BIOSECURITY IN THE US AND WORLDWIDE.