The underlying mechanisms of assembly and endophytic colonization of Fusarium species complex causing head blight disease on cereal

Cereal diseases are of major global concerns due to their significant impact on yield quality and quantity resulting in future food insecurity.

Developing the disease resistant crops is the most important management strategy, particularly under global environmental changes, to minimize the impact of chemical treatments on environment and risk of plant disease outbreaks.

Fusarium Head Blight (FHB) is one of the most devastating cereal diseases, which causes significant economic yield losses in cereals as well as sever mycotoxins contamination, affecting cereal production and human health globally.

A complex of Fusarium species has been reported to be associated with the disease which makes FHB management more challenging.

However, the mechanisms of the assembly and endophytic colonization of FHB species complex during infection are not currently understood.

Thus, the proposed work will focus on determining whether better understanding of events that lead to assembly and endophytic colonization of FHB species complex can help in identifying new broad-spectrum resistant genes in cereals.

This knowledge is crucial for improving resistant cereal cultivars in breeding studies as well as effective management of FHB disease.