Obective
- Collect Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lini (Fol) isolates from across the flax growing areas of SK and MB
- Characterize the pathogenicity of isolates
- Sequence selected isolates with NGS and analyze genomes for association with pathogenicity and location
- Develop PCR assay(s) to differentiate isolates
Project Description
This project will improve our understanding of the characteristics and distribution of Fol in SK. This information will indicate the risk of flax wilt in a particular area and will help guide flax producers with decisions on which varieties to grow and which cultural practices are needed to mitigate disease damage. The PCR assay(s) will make the monitoring of Fol in soil and plants tissues easier and faster than traditional characterization and provide producers quicker access to Fol information. Additionally, the PCR assays developed in this project will allow a better understanding of the biology of Fol. For example, does just a single isolate predominate in infected plants or are several isolates present at once? Or, does Fol grow at all in resistant plants and if it does, which isolates are present? Understanding the biology of Fol will help put the information on isolate virulence and distribution of genetic variants in context.
The initial characterization of SK Fol populations will provide knowledge of the distribution of Fol populations and their virulence levels across the main flax growing areas in Canada. The isolates and information will be archived, and compared with future isolates or field samples to determine changes in the pathogen populations over time. An understanding of the changes occurring in the Fol population for virulence and distribution will allow the flax industry to detect potential challenges early and plan changes to crop management and cultivar selection before major problems arise.
Knowledge developed in this project will help direct flax breeding, leading to more resistant or more genetically diverse flax varieties. Understanding the genomic and pathogenic diversity of Fol will help the flax breeder develop more wilt resistant cultivars. Identification of the more abundant or most virulent Fol strains will enable the flax breeder to identify resistance genes best suited to counter them. This knowledge will enable the development of cultivars resistant to the most common Fol isolates or resistant to those that cause the greatest amount of damage. Furthermore, the development of flax varieties in response to changes in the abundance of different Fol isolates will be more rapid with a better understanding of the factors that make Fol pathogenic and the ways to counter them.
