Knowledge of SsPINE1 could help researchers develop new, more precise system of control measures for the Sclerotinia sclerotiorum fungus
The Agricultural Research Service (ARS) reports that a protein which allows the fungus that causes white mold stem rot in more than 600 plant species to overcome plant defenses has been identified by a team of USDA ARS and Washington State University scientists.
Knowledge of this protein, called SsPINE1, could help researchers develop new, more precise system of control measures for the Sclerotinia sclerotiorum fungus, which attacks potatoes, soybeans, sunflowers, peas, lentils, canola, and many other broad leaf crops. The damage can add up to billions of dollars in a year of bad outbreaks.