FOLIAR DISEASES

Foliar diseases take a toll on maize (corn) producers in the US and around the world, decreasing yields and provoking applications of costly, often hazardous fungicides. Our lab has studied several bacterial and fungal diseases, with a focus on northern leaf blight (NLB).

Our research has shown how different resistance loci affect different stages of pathogenesis, found pleiotropic loci for multiple disease resistance in several populations, and characterized a loss-of-function mutation that actually increases resistance to two diseases.

Current research in these areas seeks to identify the genes underlying quantitative trait loci (QTL) by fine mapping and association studies; to understand the roles of specific genes and alleles in resistance by analysis of maize mutants and transgenic lines; and to explore the transcriptional and physical changes during the transition from biotrophy to necrotrophy.