| Our research centers on
oomycete plant pathogens in the
genus Phytophthora. This important group causes
significant damage to a wide variety of dicotyledonous plants
worldwide. The most infamous species is
P.
infestans which wreaked havoc on Irish potato production
in the mid 1800's (Irish
potato famine) and continues to be a serious problem
worldwide. More recently, a new species has arisen that
has quickly reached a similar level of infamy - the Sudden Oak
Death (SOD) pathogen,
P. ramorum.
The oomycetes have a
unique
evolutionary history sharing common ancestors with diatoms
and brown algae. They look similar to fungi but their many
differences have the practical consequence that they are
difficult to control. This is an exciting time for
Phytophthora
research!
Whole genome sequences for the soybean pathogen
P.
sojae and the SOD pathogen
P. ramorum
were released in 2004, and funding has recently been approved to sequence the
late blight pathogen
P. infestans and the vegetable
pathogen P. capsici.
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