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Research
in the Farman lab is focused on understanding mechanisms of pathogenicity
and host specificity in the fungus Magnaporthe oryzae, causal
agent of a devastating disease of rice known as rice
blast. Though rice is the most economically important host for M.
oryzae, the fungus infects other crop plants including wheat, barlet,
oats, and finger millet; as well as turf grasses, such as perennial ryegrass
and St. Augustinegrass. Toward this end, we are using genetics, molecular
biology, genomics and bioinformatics to identify genes that control host
specificity; and to shed light on genetic mechanisms that allow the fungus
to adapt rapidly to different host species. |