DSSS - Plant-pathogen coevolution in a wild woody host

Pseudomonas syringae pv. actinidiae (Psa) is a causative agent of bacterial canker of kiwifruit (Actinidia chinensis) and its pandemic lineage has caused considerable damage in kiwifruit orchards worldwide. While there is growing understanding of how pathogens evolve in agricultural environments subsequent to their emergence, far less is understood about how pathogens and wild crop relatives coevolve prior to pathogen spillover to crops. To better understand how plants and pathogens coevolve in the wild, we collected samples from nearly 200 wild kiwifruit relatives across South Korea for dual pathogen virulence and host immunity gene analysis through whole genome sequencing. Analysis of the genus-wide diversity of nucleotide-binding leucine-rich repeat proteins in sequenced Actinidia genomes was performed together with a detailed examination of Psa effector dynamics and evolution. This work enables us to uncover the coevolutionary dynamics of effectors and immunity genes circulating in wild populations.