The fungal genus Colletotrichum is one of the most common and destructive groups of plant pathogenic fungi, causing disease on plants from nearly every crop and natural ecosystem worldwide. Fourteen species are known pathogens of grasses and cereals, including several candidate bioenergy feedstocks. The impact of Colletotrichum on next-generation bioenergy feedstock production and yield could be considerable, however, like most diseases that affect these crops, these fungal pathogens are poorly studied. The fungal species proposed for sequencing are potential sources of novel degradative enzymes that could be valuable for the bioenergy industry. Three of the five species included in this project are pathogens of important conventional bioenergy grasses, while a fourth species is already sequenced and available for comparative studies.
Proposer Names: Jo Anne Crouch, Michael R. Thon, Serenella A. Sukno