Investigating Gene Function in the Rice Blast Fungus by Next Generation DNA Sequencing.

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This project aims to learn about the biology of rice blast disease, one of the world's most serious crop diseases, which each year destroys enough rice to feed more than 60 million people. There is an urgent need for new strategies to control plant diseases in order to ensure global food security in the future. It is estimated that the rice harvest needs to increase by almost 40% by 2030 to feed the planet's growing population. Understanding and controlling plant diseases is therefore an important challenge. In this study, we propose to use 'next generation DNA sequencing' to provide a rapid new method for carrying out genetic analysis in the rice blast fungus. Next generation sequencers allow scientists to determine sequences at least a hundred times more quickly than has previously been possible. We aim to carry out genetic analysis of the rice blast fungus by mapping molecular markers and using them to pinpoint the location of mutations that affect the ability of the fungus to cause disease. In this way we will be able to identify new genes which condition the ability of a fungus to invade and cause disease in a host plant. By gaining new insight into the biology of the fungus we hope to be able to identify new targets for durable disease control. The project will be carried out with an industrial partner, Syngenta, where scientists are attempting to develop new fungicides, which are safe, have less environmental impact and work more effectively than current treatments. This project will provide a new method for determining the mode of action of new potential fungicides, enabling researchers at Syngenta to develop the most promising chemicals and learn more about how they work. When considered together the project therefore promises to provide fundamental new information about this disease, which will be important for its long term control, while also providing a novel method which is of immediate value to the agricultural biotechnology industry in the UK