Description
Plant parasitic nematodes are fascinating parasites and the endoparasitic root-knot andcyst-nematodes are masterful in injecting their developmental program into plants. Yet,these animals also cause significant global yield losses and are therefore the target ofcounter-measures including chemicals, crop-rotation, and resistance-breedingprograms. These efforts impact the genetic diversity and impose selective pressures onthe targeted parasites. How can we identify the loci affected by these selectivepressures to understand nematode-plant interactions?We built and maintain collections of populations for four plant-parasitic nematodespecies: Globodera pallida, Globodera rostochiensis, Ditylenchus dipsaci, andMeloidogyne hapla. Each of these species has a different historic background, host-range and reproductive mechanism. By constructing reference genomes and re-sequencing of populations we developed an understanding of the population structure.Via this insight, we can develop experiments to map QTL for various traits. For example,we mapped a locus in G. pallida related to reproduction on resistant potato plants. Theresistance-breaking allele conveys a major selective advantage when the potato hostcarries resistance.The recent advances in non-model organism genomics made it possible to establishgenetic analyses in these ubiquitous parasitic species. The challenge lies in findingamendable strategies for mapping that can be facilitated the reproductive mechanismand our ability to obtain, maintain and manipulate populations.| Period | 14 Apr 2025 |
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| Event title | Annual Meeting Experimental Plant Sciences 2025 |
| Event type | Conference/symposium |
| Location | Egmond aan Zee, NetherlandsShow on map |