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Fungal phytopathogens employ a diverse Lacombe Research and Development Centre, Fusarium head blight (FHB) reduces yield
array of trophic modes or lifestyles that Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, 6000 C and grade and ultimately the economic return
influence host­pathogen interactions and give E Trail, Lacombe, AB, T4L 1W1, Canada. of har vested wheat Integrated pest man­
plant pathologists important information on agement strategies are used to mitigate
how a fungus is causing disease how it might Currently in Alberta, Canada, several associa­ FHB infection and genetic resistance is a key
spread through an ecosystem and ultimately tions and research groups are independently component FHB resistance is elusive and
how best to approach disease mitigation monitoring the air for spores of important additional sources are continually needed to
While current biosur veillance strategies plant pathogens: Sclerotinia sclerotiorum improve resistance To continue the search for
enable regulatory agencies to identify known (Lib.) de Bar y in dr y bean and canola, Puccinia FHB resistance 10 000 bread wheat (Triticum
pathogens they fail to monitor unknown species in wheat, and Phytophthora infestans aestivum L ) accessions from Plant Gene
or taxonomically unclassified pathogens (Mont.) de Bar y in potato. Methods used for Resources of Canada were evaluated for FHB
and they cannot determine the specific this monitoring rely on either real­time poly­ resistance in field disease nurseries over six
biological traits and lifestyles that facilitate merase chain reaction (qPCR) or microscopy. years Four thousand accessions were re­eval­
disease outbreaks We are demonstrating a The current research project is designed to uated over three years followed by continued
genomics­based approach to address these assess whether next­generation sequencing evaluation of the 400 accessions with the
challenges Our research tested the hypothesis techniques could simultaneously streamline greatest resistance The top 200 accessions
that there are genomic signatures associated existing sampling efforts and expand the num­ were selected for type II resistance evaluation
with fungal phytopathogenic lifestyles that can ber of pathogens detected. We collected daily in the greenhouse by single spikelet inocula­
be harnessed to develop more efective bio­ air samples in (i) canola experimental plots tion with Fusarium graminearum. The in­field
sur veillance approaches We compiled a da­ at four sites across the province of Alberta, and greenhouse phenotypic data will be
tabase containing lifestyle and biological trait and (ii) dr y bean, wheat, canola, and potato combined with genotypic data obtained by
information for 537 fungal species spanning fields (n = 7) in southern Alberta. Following 90K Infinium SNP array to generate a Genome
the Ascomycota and Basidiomycota phyla DNA extraction, samples were sent for Illumina Wide A ssociation Study to reveal quantitative
from the fungal genome portal MycoCosm amplicon sequencing of the fungal ITS1 and trait loci associated with FHB resistance Pre­
Using the gene annotation data from a subset ITS2 regions. Additionally, the number of S. vious results have identified quantitative trait
of 387 species with published genomes we sclerotiorum ascospores in each sample was loci on chromosomes 1A 4A 6A 2B 5B 7B
performed both principal component analy­ quantified using a qPCR assay. To assess the 1D 2D and 3D The information obtained from
ses (PCA s) and machine learning to determine potential of in­field analysis of samples, a this study will aid in FHB resistance breeding
whether there were patterns associated with subset of DNA was also sequenced with the eforts and will benefit the wheat industry
specific lifestyles or biological traits While Oxford Nanopore MinION. Preliminar y analysis
there were few discernable patterns beyond of the canola data set revealed many common 34. The regulation of intrinsic signaling in
phylogeny from the PCA s our novel machine and plant pathogenic fungal ITS sequences Brassica napus defending against Leptos-
learning approach DendroNet was able to and variation in community composition phaeria maculans
separate the signals from phylogeny and gene between sample sites. Comparing sequence C. YANG AND W. G. D. FERNANDO. Department
content and successfully predict the lifestyles counts of S. sclerotiorum from Illumina of Plant Science, Faculty of Agricultural and
of species from their genomes with AUROC amplicon sequencing with the estimates of Food Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winni­
(area under the receiver operating characte­ S. sclerotiorum DNA from qPCR revealed that peg, MB R3T 2N2, Canada.
ristic cur ve) scores ranging from 0 84 to 1 00 qPCR could quantify lower le vels of S. sclerot­
These results have important implications for iorum DNA than amplicon sequencing. Results Plants are able to trigger multiple signaling
the future of phytopathogen biosur veillance of this study will help to lay the foundation pathways to cope with pathogenic invasion.
as well as the de velopment of more efective for a potential province­wide air monitoring Gene­for­gene interaction, one of the effective
disease mitigation strategies network for plant pathogens. mechanisms, is triggered by the interaction
between pathogenic Avr effectors from the
32. Comparison of qPCR, Illumina ampli­ 33. Continuing the vital search for Fusa­ pathogen and plant R proteins. Plant tissues
con sequencing, and Oxford Nanopore rium head blight resistance induce distinct activities when the y have, or
MinION sequencing for the detection and M HLADUN L WANG W ZHANG L JIN AND R have no HR, and those differences help to find
quantification of airborne plant patho­ KUTCHER Department of Plant Sciences, Uni­ out the factors in efficient defense against
gens versity of Saskatchewan, 51 Campus Drive, Sas­ plant pathogens. An excellent pathosystem
J.REICH, R. HAMELIN, T. K. TURKINGTON AND katoon, SK, S7N 5A8, Canada; (W.Z.) National to investigate this is the Brassica napus –
S. CHATTERTON. (J.R., R.H.) Faculty of Forestry, Research Council of Canada, 110 Gymnasium Leptosphaeria maculans pathosystem. Three
University of British Columbia, 2424 Main Mall, Place, Saskatoon, SK, S7N 0W9, Canada;(L.J.) cultivars of B. napus ­ Westar, Surpass400
Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z4, Canada; (J.R., S.C.) Department of Computer Science, University and 01­23­2­1 that are susceptible, interme­
Lethbridge Research and Development Centre, of Saskatchewan, S421 Thorvaldson Building, diate­resistant and resistant respectively,
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, 5403 1 st Saskatoon SK, S7N 5A8, Canada. were inoculated by two L. maculans isolates
Ave S., Lethbridge, AB, T1J 4B1, Canada; (T.K.T.) (HCRT75 8­1 (Genotype: avrLm1, AvrLm2,

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