Population-level deep sequencing reveals the interplay of clonal and sexual reproduction in the fungal wheat pathogen Zymoseptoria tritici.

ABSTRACT: Pathogens cause significant challenges to global food security. On annual crops, pathogens must re-infect from environmental sources in every growing season. Fungal pathogens have evolved mixed reproductive strategies to cope with the distinct challenges of colonizing growing plants. However, how pathogen diversity evolves during growing seasons remains largely unknown. Here, we performed a deep hierarchical sampling in a single experimental wheat field infected by the major fungal pathogen Zymoseptoria tritici. We analysed whole genome sequences of 177 isolates collected from 12 distinct cultivars replicated in space at three time points of the growing season to maximize capture of genetic diversity. The field population was highly diverse with 37 SNPs per kilobase, a linkage diseq

SUBMITTER: Singh NK 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8627204 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature