Bruce Alan McDonald

A Novel Phenotyping Approach for Reconciling Precision and Variance in Disease Severity Estimates from High-resolution Imaging

The paper develops an imaging approach to improve disease severity estimation in wheat by combining high-resolution imaging and focus bracketing, reducing measurement uncertainty and enabling efficient sampling.

Genetic mapping of trait plasticity in a plant pathogenic fungus reveals genetic architecture and candidate genes for plasticity

The paper maps genetic loci controlling phenotypic plasticity in the wheat pathogen Zymoseptoria tritici using long-term phenotypic and genotypic data across multiple environments.

Contrasting transcriptional responses and genetic determinants underlie Zymoseptoria tritici adaptation mechanisms to simulated host defense environments

This study identifies genetic and transcriptional responses of Zymoseptoria tritici to host defense simulations, revealing shared and condition-specific adaptations.

Recurrent chromosome destabilization through repeat-mediated rearrangements in a fungal pathogen

The paper identifies transposable elements and repeat-induced point mutation as triggers of chromosomal instability and degeneration in a fungal pathogen through experimental progeny analysis.

Cultivar-specific fungicide resistance emerges during a growing season in field populations of Zymoseptoria tritici

The paper measures fungicide resistance in Zymoseptoria tritici field populations across wheat cultivars and growing seasons, finding high diversity and cultivar-specific resistance patterns.

Zymoseptoria tritici stealth infection is facilitated by stage-specific down-regulation of a β-glucanase

This study identifies ZtGH45, a β-glucanase from Zymoseptoria tritici, showing that its stage-specific down-regulation during infection prevents premature host immune activation, facilitating stealth infection.

Responses to temperature shocks in Zymoseptoria tritici reveal specific transcriptional reprogramming and novel candidate genes for thermal adaptation

This study investigates how Zymoseptoria tritici responds to temperature shocks using transcriptomics and GWAS, identifying genes and loci involved in thermal adaptation.

Tracking Lesion Growth in the Field: Imaging and Deep Learning Reveal Components of Quantitative Resistance

The paper uses deep learning to track lesion growth in wheat infected by Zymoseptoria tritici, finding lesion growth is a significant component of quantitative resistance in most cultivars.

From Canopy Images to Organ-Level Disease Assessments: A Scalable Approach to Measure Quantitative Resistance in the Field

This paper introduces an imaging protocol and pipeline to measure wheat disease severity from canopy images, achieving high correlation with manual methods and enabling scalable, contact-free disease assessment.

Mapping genomic regions associated with temperature stress in the wheat pathogen Zymoseptoria tritici

This study identifies genomic regions associated with temperature stress responses in Zymoseptoria tritici using QTL mapping and candidate gene analysis.

Towards high throughput in-field detection and quantification of wheat foliar diseases with deep learning

This paper develops a deep learning method to detect and quantify wheat foliar diseases using field images, achieving high accuracy in keypoint detection and segmentation.

A genome-wide association study identifies markers and candidate genes affecting tolerance to the wheat pathogen Zymoseptoria tritici

This study identifies genetic markers and candidate genes associated with wheat tolerance to Zymoseptoria tritici using genome-wide association, revealing a trade-off between tolerance and resistance.

Thermal adaptation in worldwide collections of a major fungal pathogen

The paper investigates thermal adaptation in Zymoseptoria tritici by analyzing a global collection of strains, identifying genes and showing a correlation between climate variables and optimal growth temperatures.

Quantitative trait locus mapping of osmotic stress response in the wheat pathogen Zymoseptoria tritici

This study maps quantitative trait loci (QTL) for osmotic stress response in Zymoseptoria tritici, identifying candidate genes and QTL associated with salt tolerance.

A thousand-genome panel retraces the global spread and climatic adaptation of a major crop pathogen

The paper analyzes a thousand-genome panel of Zymoseptoria tritici to trace its global spread and identify genetic changes associated with climatic adaptation.

Combined reference-free and multi-reference approaches uncover cryptic variation underlying rapid adaptation in microbial pathogens

The paper compares reference-based and reference-free GWAS approaches to identify genetic variation underlying adaptation in microbial pathogens, finding that reference-free methods capture more phenotypic variation.

A transcription factor and a phosphatase regulate temperature-dependent morphogenesis in a fungal plant pathogen

The paper identifies two genes regulating temperature-dependent morphogenesis in Z. tritici, showing that intracellular osmotic stress drives these transitions.

A population-level invasion by transposable elements triggers genome expansion in a fungal pathogen

The paper tracks transposable element (TE) expansion in Zymoseptoria tritici populations, showing that demographic factors and relaxed selection drive genome size increases.

The population genomics of transposable element activation in the highly repressive genome of an agricultural pathogen

The paper analyzes TE activity in Parastagonospora nodorum using population genomics, finding recent TE activation despite RIP defenses and purifying selection maintaining low insertion frequencies.

The genetic architecture of emerging fungicide resistance in populations of a global wheat pathogen

This study uses whole-genome sequencing and association mapping to identify the genetic basis of fungicide resistance in a global panel of Parastagonospora nodorum isolates, revealing multiple resistance alleles and no fitness trade-offs.

Genetic architecture of oxidative stress tolerance in the fungal wheat pathogen Zymoseptoria tritici

The paper identifies genomic regions associated with oxidative stress tolerance in Zymoseptoria tritici using QTL mapping and finds a trade-off between growth under non-stressful conditions and oxidative stress tolerance.

A 19-isolate reference-quality global pangenome for the fungal wheat pathogen Zymoseptoria tritici

The paper constructs a high-quality pangenome for Zymoseptoria tritici using 19 genomes, revealing extensive gene presence-absence variation and its functional implications.

Transposable element insertions shape gene regulation and melanin production in a fungal pathogen

The paper identifies transposable element insertions as a mechanism regulating Zmr1 expression and melanin accumulation in the fungal pathogen Zymoseptoria tritici.

Genome-wide detection of genes under positive selection in worldwide populations of the barley scald pathogen

This study identifies genes under positive selection in global populations of the barley scald pathogen Rhynchosporium commune, revealing spatially heterogeneous selection pressures shaping its evolution.

The wheat blast pathogen Pyricularia graminis-tritici has complex origins and a disease cycle spanning multiple grass hosts

This study investigates the origins and disease cycle of the wheat blast pathogen Pyricularia graminis-tritici, revealing its complex genetic structure and role of grasses as a reservoir for wheat infection.