Robigalia Roundup #10

Hello Robigalia Reader and welcome back to another week of Robigalia, delivering the latest research, tools, and opportunities in plant pathology.

This week we discuss population diversity of NLRs in wild tomato, and we introduce our second “Research Student of the Week” feature! We also have over 10 new PhD opportunities and some new post-doc opportunities. As always, Robigalia subscribers can access my online database with summaries of Robigalia featured articles.

Keep reading for the latest updates!

Plant pathology research

Patterns of presence–absence variation of NLRs across populations of Solanum chilense are clade-dependent and mainly shaped by past demographic history

This week, we zoom out to the population level to understand the evolutionary drivers of NLR diversity.

This study published in New Phytologist this week created a new, improved genome for the wild tomato species Solanum chilense, allowing them to better identify and study NLR genes. Using this genome, the authors looked at how NLRs varied across 20 different populations of S. chilense from various habitats, focussing on presence-absence variation (PAV; whether a gene is present or absent in different plants).

They found PAV was greater within populations than between populations, suggesting the diversity of NLRs is related to what's happening within each local group of plants rather than differences between distant populations. They also found little evidence that environmental factors were strongly driving the presence or absence of specific NLR genes across different habitats.

These results suggest that random processes (like genetic drift) and weak positive selection for local adaptation are shaping NLR evolution in S. chilense. This study provides insights into how disease resistance genes evolve within a wild plant species, highlighting that population-level processes rather than strong environmental selection play a crucial role in shaping the diversity of these important genes.

Research student of the week

Meet Eric Asare 

In this second "Research Student of the Week" feature, it's a pleasure to introduce Eric Asare. Eric is currently completing a PhD at Edith Cowan University in Western Australia. His research has focused on the fungal pathogen Austropuccinia psidii, which causes the disease myrtle rust (see this week’s cover photo).

In June 2022, myrtle rust was detected for the first time on Melaleuca leucadendra (weeping paperbark) and Melaleuca alsophila (saltwater paperbark) on an isolated Mound Spring in the Eastern Kimberley region of Western Australia (WA).

Being positioned in Western Australia, where the pathogen is predicted to spread to the south-west biodiversity hotspot eventually, Eric's project seeks to understand the potential impact of myrtle rust on WA native species of Myrtaceae.

A significant focus of his PhD has been testing variations in the susceptibility of Agonis flexuosa (native peppermint), which has high rust susceptibility but is genetically diverse across its native range in south-west WA. Eric is testing the species’ susceptibility through artificial inoculations and establishing vulnerability periods by conducting phenology studies.

His PhD also incorporates investigations of other fungal pathogens causing diseases on A. flexuosa, aiming to build a reference library of disease symptoms and existing pathogenic fungi.

You can get in touch with Eric via email 

🌟 This could be you! Fill out the EOI to feature your research in Robigalia 🌟 

PhD Scholarships and Jobs

New opportunities below are indicated by two asterisks at the start of the entry **

PhD Scholarships

• **PhD opportunity in fungal immunity: how do NLR genes allow fungi to navigate the microbial world?

• **15 PhD Positions in Molecular and Developmental Biology, Genomics or Computational Science Funded through EU Research

• **The ARC Training Centre in Plant Biosecurity is funding EIGHT PhD positions!

• Identification of novel virulence determinants in the rice blast fungus Magnaporthe oryzae at TSL

• The MoRE lab are looking for suitable candidates to apply for a INPhINIT fellowship for study of evolution of plant virus interactions and evolution of crosskingdom RNAi in plant-fungus symbiotic interactions

• Use cutting-edge AI to improve crops! Women & underrepresented candidates encouraged. Search for Project 25E

• Several PhD Positions are available in Plant and Microbial Sciences at the John Innes Centre and The Sainsbury Laboratory, UK

• Graduate Student Position in Smart Plant Pathology Lab, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

• Predicting fungicide resistance evolution: combining theoretical and experimental approaches, University of Cambridge

Jobs

• **Postdoctoral Research Fellow: Remote sensing and deep learning models at James Cook University

• Head to the University of Bologna to explore fungal genetics, pathogenicity, and host adaptation in plant pathogenic fungi

• CSIRO are advertising for a Postdoctoral Fellowship in Quantitative Genetics for Plant Breeding using ML and AI

• The Centre for the Public Awareness of Science is looking for a Postdoctoral Fellow to undertake independent research in the area of misinformation and plant biosecurity

Other News and Opportunities

New opportunities below are indicated by two asterisks at the start of the entry **

• Apply for the UPSC Symposium for Early Career Plant Scientists and present your research in March 2025!

• Join the Plant-Microbiome Interaction Symposium at the John Innes Centre, 10-11 February 2025

• Save the date for the Congress of the Mediterranean Phytopathological Union happening July 6 - 10th in Italy

• Register your interest for the 17th Australasian Plant Breeding Conference in Sydney in June 2025

• Save the date for the 25th Australasian Plant Pathology Society conference in Sydney in May 2025

Meme of the week

Before you go…

• Like or didn’t like this new newsletter format? Let me know if the comments!

• Think a friend (or two) could benefit from reading? I’d love it if you could share this link with them.

Until next week,

Alyssa