South African sclerotinia sclerotiorum research in the age of genomics

Abstract

Sclerotinia sclerotiorum is a fungal pathogen of many crop species that needs no introduction to anyone working in the agricultural industry. In South Africa, S. sclerotiorum causes disease on many economically important crop species including canola, soya bean and sunflower. The persistent occurrence of this fungus in the field is attributed to its ability to form hardened, long-term survival structures called sclerotia, a trait it shares with other plant pathogens (e.g. Claviceps purpurea that causes ergot on cereal crops) and even some mushroom species (e.g. the psychedelic mushroom Psilocybe Mexicana). Sclerotia of S. sclerotiorum form the basis for its infection cycle, with severe outbreaks leading to significant yield losses.