Integrated control of Fusarium wilt of lettuce in relation to pathogen and microbial community dynamics

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Background Fusarium wilt disease of lettuce, caused by the soilborne fungal pathogen Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. lactucae (FOL), is a major constraint to production of protected and field-grown crops globally. Disease resistant lettuce cultivars have been bred to reduce losses due to FOL, but new pathogen races have evolved to overcome this resistance. The most important races are FOL race 1 which is widespread in field lettuce and FOL race 4 which has emerged only very recently to particularly affect protected lettuce in N. Europe. Dual resistance to both races is now being developed, but other approaches for management of FOL as well as an understanding of its biology and dynamics are urgently required to enable a swift response to new outbreaks in a changing climate. The project is a unique collaboration between G's, the University of Warwick and NIAB Cambridge.Objectives and approaches The main aim of this PhD is to develop sustainable integrated disease management approaches for both FOL1 and FOL4 in lettuce with a focus on field production in Spain. The objectives are: i) characterisation of FOL isolates from Spanish lettuce using molecular approaches to establish race identity and potential genetic variation, ii) evaluation of solarisation, biological control and the use of disease resistant / tolerant lettuce varieties as potential components of an integrated control strategy iii) development and implementation of different next generation sequencing approaches for microbial community analyses with a focus on monitoring the dynamics of FOL and beneficial microbes.