Developing a multi-omic approach to decipher the complex immune response of Brassica napus against the fungal pathogen Leptosphaeria maculans

This study explores the complex immune responses of Brassica napus (canola) to the fungal pathogen Leptosphaeria maculans, the causative agent of blackleg disease, a significant threat to global canola production. Utilizing a multi-omic approach, the study integrates pangenomics, transcriptomics, and proteomics to investigate the mechanisms of qualitative resistance (R-gene mediated resistance, RMR) and quantitative resistance (QR) in B. napus. The research conducted herein performs a multi-factorial experiment whereby three B. napus cultivars, Tornado, Wesroona and Westar chosen according to their resistance genotypes/phenotypes against three L. maculans isolates with varying degrees of avirulent and virulent responses.