Genome sequencing of Phytophthora cactorum strains from strawberry and apple hosts

Phytophthora cactorum is a destructive pathogen of many economically important horticultural crops such as strawberry and apple. The pathogen has two distinct pathotypes that cause crown rot and leather rot in strawberry. The crown rot pathotype can cause disease in the crown (rhizome) and fruit tissues, while the leather rot pathotype can cause disease only in the strawberry fruit. Strains from apple host can also cause leather rot but not crown rot in strawberry. This study aims to understand the genomic variability between the crown- and leather-rot pathotypes of P. cactorum. More specifically, the study focuses on identification of effector proteins potentially involved during compatible or incompatible interactions with the different tissue types in strawberry.