Lettuce is the most popular leafy green vegetable and a valuable crop worldwide. It is threatened by Fusarium
wilt, and the disease is further exacerbated by climate change. We and seven leading breeding companies will
develop computational and molecular resources and technologies to uncover the molecular basis of Fusarium
wilt disease and how it is influenced by changing temperatures. We will use this knowledge to accelerate
resistance breeding and disease management in lettuce

Develop and use high-quality omics resources, molecular tools and innovative omics-based technologies
to identify effectors of all Fola races, understand their evolution, function, and significance for lettuce infection,
and use this knowledge to accelerate resistance breeding and disease management in lettuce and to contribute
to sustainable agriculture

This project fits to the key technology program ST2 ‘Sleuteltechnologie voor snelle, efficiënte en nauwkeurige
veredeling van plant en dier’. It aims to contribute to sustainable agriculture by developing and applying tools
and technologies for accelerating knowledge-driven crop breeding and disease management using pathogeninformed
strategies. Understanding the tools, weapons, and strategies that pathogens use for infection provides
an important technology that will enable breeders to select new sources of resistance and make informed
choices regarding the combination of resistance trains in new varieties. Specifically, it relates to sub-program 1,
as we will generate novel omics resources and develop and apply innovative computational approaches (e.g.,
pan-genome graphs) to compare pathogen genomic diversity and trace disease evolution. It will provide solutions
for resilience to biotic and abiotic stresses, and aid breeding for resilient crops.
Agricultural systems need to become more sustainable and cope with big challenges such as climate change. This
proposal will empower growers to select planting times and lettuce cultivars, ultimately reducing damage caused
by Fola. Thus, it is also relevant for mission 2 ‘Duurzame land- en tuinbouw’, subtheme 2C ‘Weerbare
plantaardige productie op een vitale bodem/substraat’, subprogram 2 and 4. Ultimately, it will also contribute
to sustainable development goals defined by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.

The expected output of the project is in-depth scientific knowledge on the interaction between Fola and lettuce,
especially on the evolution and role of effectors, and how this interaction is influenced by changing climate
conditions. This knowledge will be instrumental for R&D programs of international breeding companies.
Knowledge on the impact of global warming on Fola aggressiveness and lettuce resistance enables growers to
optimally select planting times and lettuce cultivars to reduce damage and allows breeders to consider the
temperature resilience of the lettuce immune system. Knowledge about effectors and their targets enables
breeders to select new resistance sources and make choices for combining resistance traits in new varieties for
optimal crop resilience, a key trait for sustainable agriculture