Genomic Approaches for Legume Improvement with a Focus on Soil-Borne Pathogens

In the crop genomics area genomic resources are being developed for lupins, a major grain legume crop grown in Australia.  Large numbers of seed storage protein genes hav ebeen identified and characterised in lupins and these are candidates for some of the exciting human health properties being asscoiated with lupins in the areas of obesity and diabetes. In the genomic area we have developed a suite of molecular and geneomic resources including a large BAC library, large transcriptome data sets and a draft genome which we have used to facilitate extensive marker discovery for this crop.

Another area of research interest involves soil borne necrotrophic fungal pathogens which are causal agents of numerous important diseases. One pathogen is Rhizoctonia solani, with a major focus on R. solani AG8, the causal agent of root and crown rot resulting in bare patch of legumes, cereals and brassicas. This broad host range suggests that pathogenesis and host defence mechanisms may be different to those employed during more specific plant/pathogen interactions. Good progress has been made through studying the mechanisms involved in partial resistance in M. truncatula and in deciphering the genome, proteome and transcriptome of R. solani AG8.