Understanding interactions between the fungal pathogens Leptosphaeria maculans (phoma stem canker) and Pyrenopeziza brassicae (light leaf spot) on oilseed rape

Diseases of arable crops are major threats to food production in the agricultural industry. Phoma stem canker and light leaf spot are two economically important diseases of oilseed rape. East Anglia is a major oilseed rape growing area in the UK. These two diseases can cause annual yield losses of winter oilseed rape worth > £100M. Phoma stem canker is mainly caused by the fungal pathogen Leptosphaeria maculans and light leaf spot is caused by the fungal pathogen Pyrenopeziza brassicae. This project aims to understand interactions between these two fungal pathogens at different stages of their life cycles and to develop new tools to control them.