Lixia Gao, Ph.D.

Sclerotinia stem rot, caused by Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, is one of the major diseases constraining the improvement of yield and quality in rapeseed in China. My goal is to utilize GWAS to mine plant resistance genes for the control of Sclerotinia disease.

1. Identifying resistant materials and their underlying regulatory genes in Brassica napus;
2. Elucidating the resistance mechanisms against S. sclerotiorum and the interactions between the plant and the pathogen;
3. Evaluating the breeding potential of resistance gene resources.