This project aims to characterise and quantify the effects of Botrytis virus X on the fungus Botrytis cinerea.Botrytis cinerea is a serious pathogen of many horticultural crops - causing grey mould. Previous work in our lab has demonstrated the presence of viruses in several Botrytis isolates, posing the possibility that these might be used as biological control agents.

We now have the complete genome sequence for two of the Botrytis cinerea viruses, providing the opportunity to examine the interaction between these two viruses and Botrytis cinerea at the molecular level.

Funded by the Tertiary Education Commission, this project will examine the interaction between Botrytis cinerea and the viruses to determine how the viruses are transmitted and whether they have any significant effect on fungal development and survival. This will provide information on the possible advantages and constraints of using mycoviruses as biological control agents for plant pathogenic fungi, either as direct pathogens or as gene vectors.

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