Nuclear dynamics in Sclerotinia sclerotiorum
Plant Pathology
White mold quietly kills lettuce, beans, sunflowers, and dozens of other garden vegetables every wet summer, and knowing how this fungus organizes itself at the cellular level is the first step toward stopping it without more fungicide.
Sclerotinia sclerotiorum is the fungus that causes white mold, a fluffy white rot that wipes out whole rows of garden vegetables in cool, damp weather. This research digs into how the fungus manages its internal 'control centers' (nuclei) as it grows and spreads. Figuring out how it handles that internal organization could point scientists toward new ways to disrupt the fungus before it can do damage.
Key Findings
The study focuses on nuclear dynamics — how nuclei divide, migrate, and are maintained — within Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, a pathogen affecting over 400 plant species
Full findings are under embargo as part of an unpublished thesis, so specific quantitative results are not yet publicly available
Research into nuclear behavior in multinucleate fungi like Sclerotinia may expose stage-specific vulnerabilities relevant to disease management strategies
chevron_right Technical Summary
This thesis investigates how the nuclei inside Sclerotinia sclerotiorum — the fungus behind white mold, one of the most destructive plant diseases worldwide — behave and move during the fungus's life cycle. Understanding nuclear dynamics in this pathogen may reveal new weaknesses that could be exploited to protect crops and garden plants.
Abstract Preview
The full abstract for this thesis is available in the body of the thesis, and will be available when the embargo expires.
open_in_new Read full abstractAbstract copyright held by the original publisher.
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