Sustainable solutions to combat Downy Mildew pathogen of pea

Pea is a globally important legume crop valued for its role in soil nitrogen fixation, sustainable agriculture and providing a rich source of plant protein. The crop yield and quality are at a high risk from Downy Mildew (DM) pathogen, affecting both vining and combining peas in the UK, due to the recent withdrawal of the widely used metalaxyl-M containing fungicides for outdoor sowing of seeds. The aim of this project is to use genomic tools to understand the pathogen diversity and its role in disease epidemics, find and validate novel sources of genetic resistance to DM. To this end, we will evaluate a genetically diverse Pisum germplasm collection containing cultivars, landraces and wild species for novel sources of resistance and validate the potential of discovered candidate genes using mutants, biparental populations and/or gene editing. Identified resistances will be transferred into elite pea varieties, using marker-assisted selection in collaboration with our industrial partner, Limagrain, where the student will have the opportunity to undertake a three-month placement. The pathogen diversity will also be genetically characterized to develop a diagnostic tool for the rapid identification of pathogen races and map their distribution across UK to help the growers make an informed decision in the variety selection.