Exploiting bacterial genomics to develop tools for effective pathogen monitoring in rice    
R. OLIVA (1) (1) IRRI, Philippines

The emergence of highly aggressive clones of plant pathogens in agricultural ecosystems represents an important threat to food security. Bacterial leaf blight, caused by Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae (Xoo), is the most important bacterial disease of rice. The pathogen population is usually composed by a number of phenotypic groups, or races, that show genotype-specific interaction with the host plant. For that reason, capturing the genetic pool of the local Xoo races is becoming essential to monitor emerging clones and drive genetic improvement efforts. We investigated the last four decades of Xoo collections to understand the evolutionary forces that shape contemporary races in the Philippines archipelago. Comparative genomics of a representative sample identified three genetic lineages, which divergence predates the colonization of the islands. The pattern of positive selection, recombination, and diversification of effectors genes suggest that each lineage experienced distinct adaptation process during modern rice agriculture. With this information we are developing a high-throughput monitoring strategy to understand race distribution and support breeding programs in other countries of the regions.

Abstract Number: C3-1
Session Type: Concurrent