Identification of gene expression biomarkers for different biotic stress conditions in Arabidopsis thaliana and canola

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Global agricultural productivity must be significantly improved to feed the rapidly-growing human population.**Effective pest management is crucial for sustainable agriculture. Biopesticides are promising tools to develop a**new generation of powerful, eco-friendly, and sustainable agricultural products to reduce or even replace the**use of conventional problematic synthetic pesticides. However, the development of biopesticide products is**impeded by many critical issues. One crucial hurdle lies in the lack of sets of biomarkers that can serve as early**diagnostic tools to accurately predict disease progression and quickly assess the efficacy of plant health**products. To help to resolve this issue, this Engage-Mitacs project will focus on identifying a group of gene**expression markers in the context of different biotic stress conditions in the model plant species Arabidopsis**thaliana, which will then be correlated to major Canadian crops such as canola (Brassica napus). The prime**methodologies adopted in this study include infection assays on A. thaliana and canola with bacterial and**fungal pathogens, along with quantitative RT-PCR and RNA-Seq analysis. In the future, the application of**these biomarkers will immensely accelerate the development of novel plant health products and bring huge**profits to Canadian vegetable and canola growers.