Microbial ecology of fungal viruses and hypovirulence in plant pathogenic fungi

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Variability among populations of pathogens is an important area of research for improved understanding and management of human, animal, & plant diseases. In plant diseases, for example, variations in virulence among individual strains of a pathogen can influence the severity of disease that develops on each host plant and, therefore, on our ability to manage these diseases. Fungal plant pathogens are a highly variable group of organisms and this variability is associated with several genetic factors within each pathogen, including the presence of fungal viruses. Fungal viruses are a relatively unknown group of viral parasites that are increasingly being seen as an important and diverse group of mobile genetic elements with unique properties, and may offer potential opportunities as biological control agents for fungi that cause plant diseases. This research will explore aspects of fungal viruses in Sclerotinia species, an economically important group of fungal plant pathogens of numerous agricultural, horticultural and native plants. Previous studies have identified several promising fungal viruses in Sclerotinia species, and the current studies will characterize the biology and impact of these viruses. Emphasis will be placed on identifying such important questions as how these viruses infect fungal plant pathogens, which fungal pathogens they can infect, how they spread among various fungal pathogens, how these viruses reduce the virulence of fungal pathogens, and whether they have potential applications as biological control agents for plant diseases. The results of this research will evaluate fungal viruses as biological control agents of fungal plant diseases and possibly contribute to new methods or products for the management of plant diseases. In addition, this research will contribute to the training of young scientific researchers and individuals with associated expertise in plant health in Canada.