Our research focuses on understanding the genetic architecture underlying host and nonhost resistance. We use natural and induced variation within host, intermediate host, and nonhost species to identify the genetic loci specifying resistance. Our efforts are concentrated on the cereal rusts and their interaction with several grass species, including wheat (Triticum aestivum), barley (Hordeum vulgare), oat (Avena sativa), and purple false brome (Brachypodium distachyon). We apply a suite of approaches to rapidly accelerate our research, including genetics, bioinformatics, molecular biology, and next-generation sequencing.

Current projects in the group include:

– Genetic architecture underlying host species specificity of stripe rust

– Multiple pathogen resistance specificity at the Mla locus

– Map-based cloning of adult plant resistance QTLs to barley stripe rust

– Distribution, diversity, and expression of the barley NB-LRRome

– Nonhost resistance in Brachypodium spp. to wheat stripe rust

– Suppression of resistance in polyploid genomes