WHOLE GENOME SEQUENCE OF VIRULENT CORYNESPORA CASSIICOLA ISOLATE FROM INDIA, INFECTING HEVEA BRASILIENSIS.

Natural rubber from the rubber tree (Hevea brasiliensis) is the most versatile industrial raw material and it has somany economic and industrial values. Now a day, the rubber production is declined due to the abiotic and biotic stresses. Among the biotic constraints most important is the incidence of diseases that cause significant crop loss. One of the major reasons for the large decline in rubber yield in India is the Corynespora leaf fall disease caused by the fungus Corynespora cassiicola. Corynespora cassiicola pathogenesity in rubber tree is mediated by a small phytotoxic protein named Cassiicolin produced by the fungus. The Cassiicolin is a glycosilated protein having 27 amino acids and which is matured from a precursor protein Cas 1. There are 6 isoforms of Cas gene detected in different C. cassiicola infected crops. The isolates which have no Cas gene also shows some level of virulence on rubber trees, which may be due to the existence of other effectors which are yet to be characterized. A highly virulent C. cassiicola isolate collected from a Corynespora disease hot spot (Shiradii, Karnataka) is selected for whole genome sequencing for the understanding of effector proteins and their role in Corynespora leaf fall disease.