Fundamental wheat stripe rust research in the 21st century

Abstract

Contents 1625 I. 1625 II. 1626 III. 1626 IV. 1626 V. 1628 VI. 1629 VII. 1629 1630 References 1630 SUMMARY: In the 21^st century, the wheat stripe rust fungus has evolved to be the largest biotic limitation to global wheat production. New pathogen genotypes are more aggressive and able to infect previously resistant wheat varieties, leading to rapid pathogen migration across and between continents. We now know the full life cycle, microevolutionary relationships and past migration routes on a global scale. Current sequencing technologies have provided the first fungal draft genomes and simplified plant resistance gene cloning. Yet, we know nothing about the molecular and microevolutionary mechanisms that facilitate the infection process and cause new devastating pathogen races. These are the questions that need to be addressed by exploiting the synergies between novel 21^st century biology tools and decades of dedicated pathology work.

Keywords: Puccinia striformis f. sp. tritici (Pst); fungal evolution; genomics; plant pathogen; wheat; wheat stripe rust.