Genomics Group

Microbial Genetics Lab

We are the Genomics Group. Our research group works with molecular plant-pathogen interaction to understand how plants and pathogens communicate to establish compatible or incompatible interactions.

The crop of interest is sugarcane, one of the world’s most efficient crops to produce clean and renewable energy. However, sugarcane is affected by several diseases, including smut, rust, ratoon stunting, and leaf scald. Therefore, we have been dedicating efforts to depict molecular events involving sugarcane, Sporisorium scitamineum, and Leifsonia xyli. More recently, other pathosystems, such as Neophysopella tropicalis - grapevines and Phakopsora pachyrhizi - soybeans, were introduced in our research in collaborative initiatives with other groups of the University of São Paulo.