Despite the great efforts invested by plant breeding and chemical companies, powdery mildew fungi (Erysiphales) continues to be one of the most important limiting factors for many horticultural and ornamental crops. Among of these problems, the cucurbit powdery mildew (Podosphaera xanthii) stands as one of the most important threats for the cucurbit production worldwide. The expansion of genomics and the advancement of technologies to exploit this information, provide a novel platform from which new routes can be developed to obtain the future arsenal of crop protection tools, especially against powdery mildews. In this research project, we use the genomics information available for P. xanthii and other powdery mildews to achieve the following objectives: 1) Define the secretome of P. xanthii by combining sequencing data from epiphytic and haustorial transcriptomes. 2) Identify fungal proteins with key role in pathogenesis by functional analysis of candidate effectors and conserved secreted proteins. 3) Identify the molecular targets of selected Podosphaera effectors; attention will be paid to effectors that might be likely involved in manipulation of host responses. If we succeed, the results of this project should provide the basis for discovery of new fungicides targets and development of new resistant varieties, this way contributing to the development of a more sustainable and productive agriculture.
Members Alejandro Pérez García Antonio de Vicente Moreno Juan A. Torés Montosa (IHSM-CSIC) Diego F. Romero Hinojosa Dolores Fernández Ortuño Jesús Martínez Cruz Álvaro Acisclo Polonio Escalona
THE CUCURBIT POWDERY MILDEW PROJECT
