PROJECT 1 ABSTRACTArs Agreement • June 3rd, 2024
Contract Type FiledJune 3rd, 2024Project Goals: The long-term goal of research in the PI’s group is to develop alternative strategies for controlling FHB and mycotoxin accumulation that complement existing control measures in wheat and barley. While breeding efforts target host genes to enhance resistance, host-induced gene silencing (HIGS) provides a parallel in planta strategy to silence expression of fungal genes to control infection and toxin accumulation. The goal of the proposed work is to test the hypothesis that HIGS of Fusarium graminearum effector-encoding genes, which are required for virulence, will adversely impact pathogenicity and thus promote resistance against F. graminearum. Two secretory protein-encoding genes will be targeted; (i) FGL1, which encodes a lipase that is required for spread of the infection on wheat, and (ii) FgNahG, which encodes an enzyme that is predicted to breakdown the defense signaling metabolite salicylic acid. The specific objectives of the project are to: