Project
Diagnostics for managing Globodera rostochiensis
We aim to develop a new diagnosis-treatment methodology for the selective use of potato cyst nematode resistant potato cultivars. This methodology incorporates both cultivation history of a plot and a DNA fingerprint of the infestation.
Background
Recently, several Dutch farmers reported unexpected poor performances of potato cultivars with resistance to potato cyst nematodes. In contrast to earlier observations on virulent field populations of the pale potato cyst nematode (Globodera pallida), these local infestations consisted of the golden potato cyst nematode species G. rostochiensis only. Remarkably, the farmers also reported large differences in efficacy of resistant potato cultivars between separate plots. A possible explanation for these differences are the cultivation history of a specific plot and the genetic composition of a local G. rostochiensis infestation.
Project description
In this project we will characterize a collection of field populations of Globodera rostochiensis. This will be done phenotypically, through large standardized tests on panels of potato cultivars, and genetically, through whole-genome short-read sequencing. Together, this data can help us understand the reported observations in the field.