Identification of a candidate Blackleg resistance gene in Brassica napus and a candidate avirulence gene in Leptosphaeria maculans in the B. napus - L. maculans pathosystem

8rassica napus (canola) is an important crop sourced for its edible oil. However, the yield of the crop is severely affected by Blackleg disease, caused by the devastating fungal pathogen Leptosphaeria maculans. Breeding Blackleg resistant B. napus is an efficient and sustainable strategy to overcome this problem. To achieve this goal, we identified candidate genes involved in. the B. napus - L. maculans interaction through infection studies, supported by next-generation sequencing and high throughput genotyping in both the host and the pathogen. The outcomes from this research will benefit the canola industry both locally and internationally.