Gapless Genome Assembly of the Potato and Tomato Early Blight Pathogen Alternaria solani

The Alternaria genus consists of saprophytic fungi as well as plant-pathogenic species that have significant economic impact. To date, the genomes of multiple Alternaria species have been sequenced. These studies have yielded valuable data for molecular studies on Alternaria fungi. However, most of the current Alternaria genome assemblies are highly fragmented, thereby hampering the identification of genes that are involved in causing disease. Here, we report a gapless genome assembly of A. solani, the causal agent of early blight in tomato and potato. The genome assembly is a significant step toward a better understanding of pathogenicity of A. solani

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A Phytophthora species was found on blighted foliage of Ipomoea longipedunculata, a morning glory native to the highlands of central Mexico. Based on host range, morphology, allozymes, mitochondrial DNA haplotype and rDNA sequences it is concluded that a new Phytophthora species, P. ipomoeae sp. nov., is the causal agent of leaf blight disease on I. longipedunculata