Pathogen Genetics & Genomics
Our research group focusses on the genetics and genomics of fungal plant pathogens. We focus on identifying the genomic regions associated with phenotypic traits, and on pathogen population genomics and evolutionary potential.
Interactions between plants and their fungal pathogens have enormous economical, ecological and societal impacts. Fungal plant pathogens are also fascinating systems to study adaptation and other evolutionary processes. This newly formed group will have two main areas of research.
1) Quantitative trait loci mapping of morphology and phenotypic plasticity in Zymoseptoria tritici
A wealth of genetic and phenotypic data on Zymoseptoria tritici has been collected in the Plant Pathology group at the ETH. This project aims to consolidate and reanalyse data from these projects to identify new QTLs associated with phenotypic traits.
2) Population genomics of Cercospora beticola
Cercospora leaf spot, caused by the fungus Cercospora beticola, is an important disease on sugar beets. This project aims to investigate the pathogen population genetic structure locally and globally and to identify genomic regions associated with variation in phenotypic traits.