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Additional lecture material will be linked on the course outline page. Check back often.
Both the syllabus and the course outline and schedule are available as ms word documents:
  • syllabus.doc
  • 2010 schedule TBA
  • 2008 schedule
 

An archive of the Spring 2008 semester lecture materials can be found here.

Spring 2010 Course Outline and Schedule

Additional materials relevant to each lecture will be linked from this page.

Power Point presentations are also published in bandwidth friendly HTML format for your convenience.

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Grading Policy:
The final grade in this course will be computed based on the following percentages:
assigned 01-25-10 :: due 02-15-10 :: (Balint-Kurti) :: Homework Assignment: 10%
02-10-10 :: (Balint-Kurti) :: Exam: 15%
03-05-10 :: (Opperman) :: Exam: 25%
assigned 03-08-10 :: due 03-24-10 :: (Cowger) :: Homework Assignment: 10%
04-09-10 :: (Cowger) :: Exam: 15%
assigned 04-12-10 :: (Marshall) :: Oral Presentation: 10%
assigned 04-12-10 :: (Marshall) :: Two Essays: 10%
(Marshall) :: Class Participation: 5%
TOTAL: 100%
Last day to withdraw or drop a course without a grade at the 500-900 level or to change from credit to audit at the 500-900 level is March 8th, 2010
January 11, 2010
Introduction
January 13, 2010
Lecture 1, Balint-Kurti
  • Required Reading:
  • 1-13-10.pdf
January 15, 2010
Lecture 2, Balint-Kurti
  • Required Reading:
  • 1-15-10.pdf
  • Power Point slides:
  • 1-15-10.ppt
    • HTML version
January 18, 2010
Martin Luther King Day Holiday
January 20, 2010
Lecture 3, Balint-Kurti
  • Required Reading:
  • 1-20-10.pdf
  • Recommended Readings:
  • 1-20-10a.pdf
  • 1-20-10b.pdf
  • Power Point slides:
  • 1-20-10.ppt
    • HTML version
January 22, 2010
Lecture 4, Balint-Kurti
  • Required Reading:
  • 1-22-10.pdf
  • Recommended Readings:
  • 1-22-10a.pdf
  • 1-22-10b.pdf
  • Power Point slides:
  • 1-22-10.ppt
    • HTML version
January 25, 2010
Lecture 5, Balint-Kurti
  • Required Reading:
  • 1-25-10.pdf
  • Power Point slides:
  • 1-25-10.ppt
    • HTML version
HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT, Balint-Kurti

Based on lectures 1-5 and required readings.

Due Feb 15th

"Describe the molecular-genetic interactions occurring between a plant pathogen and its host during the infection process. Focus on the roles of evolutionary pressures and how they shape the "arms-races" between the pathogen and host. Give examples"

 I'm looking for something in the region of 2000 words. You can use figures that come from other sources as long as they are appropriately attributed. (You can't use the figure legends though)

This is worth 10% of your final grade. The other 15% for my section will be awarded based on the quiz on Feb 10th.
January 27, 2010
Lecture 6, Balint-Kurti
  • Required Reading:
  • 1-27-10.pdf
  • Recommended Readings:
  • 1-27-10a.pdf
  • 1-27-10b.pdf
  • Power Point slides:
  • 1-27-10.ppt
    • HTML version
January 29, 2010
Lecture 7, Balint-Kurti
  • Required Reading:
  • 1-29-10.pdf
  • Recommended Reading:
  • 1-29-10a.pdf
  • Power Point slides:
  • 1-29-10.ppt
    • HTML version
February 1, 2010
Lecture 8, Balint-Kurti
Monday, Feb. 1 Classes Before Noon Cancelled; NC State Open But Operating Under Status 3 Adverse Weather Advisory.
The NC State University adverse weather regulation is online at http://www.ncsu.edu/policies/campus_environ/health_safety_welfare/REG04.20.7.php.
  • Required Reading:
  • 2-1-10.pdf
  • Recommended Readings:
  • 2-1-10a.pdf
  • 2-1-10b.pdf
  • Power Point slides:
  • 2-1-10.ppt
    • HTML version
February 3, 2010
Lecture 9, Balint-Kurti
  • Required Reading:
  • 2-3-10.pdf
  • Recommended Reading:
  • 2-3-10a.pdf
  • Power Point slides:
  • 2-3and5-10.ppt
    • HTML version
February 5, 2010 | Guest Lecture
Dr. Eric Ward
President, Two Blades Foundation
www.2blades.org
  • Power Point slides:
  • 2-5-10.ppt
    • HTML version
February 8, 2010
Lecture 11, Balint-Kurti
  • Power Point slides:
  • 2-8-10.ppt
    • HTML version
February 10, 2010
Exam 1, Balint-Kurti
February 12, 2010
Lecture 12, Opperman
  • Power Point slides:
  • 2-12-10.ppt
    • HTML version
February 15, 2010
Lecture 13, Opperman
  • Power Point slides:
  • 2-15-10.ppt
    • HTML version
Balint-Kurti homework paper due.
February 17, 2010
Lecture 14, Opperman
February 19, 2010
Lecture 15, Opperman
February 22, 2010 | Guest Lecture
Dr. Jenn Schaff
Interim Director, NCSU Genomic Sciences Laboratory
gsl.cals.ncsu.edu
  • Power Point slides:
  • jenn-presentation.ppt
    • HTML version
  • Reading:
  • NexGen.pdf
February 24, 2010
Lecture 17, Opperman
February 26, 2010
Lecture 18, Opperman
March 1, 2010
Lecture 19, Opperman
March 3, 2010
Lecture 20, Opperman
March 5, 2010
Exam 2, Opperman
March 8, 2010
Lecture 21, Cowger | Pathogen/pest evolution in response to host resistance: Natural vs. Human-Managed Systems

  • Power Point slides:
  • 3-8-10.ppt
    • HTML version
  • Required Readings:
  • Thompson, “Co-evolution: the geographic mosaic of coevolutionary arms races”
  • Thrall and Burdon, “Evolution of virulence in a plant host-pathogen metapopulation”
  • Toju, “Natural selection drives the fine-scale divergence of a coevolutionary arms race involving a long-mouthed weevil and its obligate host plant”
  • Recommended Readings:
  • Holub, “The arms race is ancient history in Arabidopsis, the wildflower”
  • Laine, “Resistance variation within and among host populations in a plant-pathogen metapopulation: implications for regional pathogen dynamics”
  • Toju and Sota, “Imbalance of predator and prey armament: geographic clines in phenotypic interface and natural selection.”
HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT, Cowger

Due March 24th

What are the main features of natural plant-parasite systems that distinguish them from most human-managed systems? How does this lead to different dynamics of disease and/or parasitism in the natural vs. human-managed systems? Give some examples for each feature and difference.

 I'm looking for something in the region of 2000 words. You can use figures that come from other sources as long as they are appropriately attributed. (You can't use the figure legends, though.)

This is worth 10% of your final grade. The other 15% for my section will be awarded based on the quiz on April 9.
March 10, 2010
Lecture 22, Cowger | Pathogen/pest evolution in response to host resistance: Selective Effects of Qualitative and Quantative Resistance
  • Power Point slides:
  • 3-10-10.ppt
    • HTML version
  • Required Readings:
  • McDonald and Linde, “Pathogen population genetics, evolutionary potential, and durable resistance.”
  • Bai et al, “Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae avirulence genes contribute differently and specifically to pathogen aggressiveness.”
  • Cowger and Mundt, “Aggressiveness of Mycosphaerella graminicola isolates from susceptible and partially resistant wheat cultivars.”
  • Recommended Reading:
  • Morell, “Antibiotic resistance: road of no return.”
March 12, 2010
Lecture 23, Cowger | Pathogen/pest evolution in response to host resistance: Evolution of Pathogen Populations with Host-Selective Toxins

  • Required Readings:
  • Markham and Hille, “Host-selective toxins as agents of cell death in plant-fungus interactions”
  • Stukenbrock and McDonald, “Geographical variation and positive diversifying selection in the host-specific toxin SnToxA”
  • Recommended Readings:
  • Sindhu et al, “A guardian of grasses: specific origin and conservation of a unique disease-resistance gene in the grass lineage”
  • Hane et al, “Dothideomycete-plant interactions illuminated by genome sequencing and EST analysis of the wheat pathogen Stagonospora nodorum”
Assignment on wheat stripe rust (for discussion on March 26 -- Updated from March 24 to March 26 on 03-24-10):
  • Required Readings:
  • Wellings, C. R. “Puccinia striiformis in Australia: a review of the incursion, evolution, and adaptation of stripe rust in the period 1979-2006”
  • Chen, X.-M. “Challenges and solutions for stripe rust control in the United States”
  • Hovmøller, M. S., et al. “Rapid global spread of two aggressive strains of a wheat rust fungus”
  • Markell, S. G., and Milus, E. A. “Emergence of a novel population of Puccinia striiformis f. sp. tritici in Eastern United States”
  • Milus, E. A., et al. “Evidence for increased aggressiveness in a recent widespread strain of Puccinia striiformis f. sp. tritici causing stripe rust of wheat”
  • Questions:
  • How has the population of the wheat stripe rust pathogen Puccinia striiformis f. sp. tritici (Pst) evolved in the U.S. and worldwide since 1976? Be specific:
    • With respect to virulence
    • With respect to aggressiveness
    • What is the specific evidence for each of these claimed adaptations? How was it obtained? Do you find it convincing?
  • What has happened to the complexity of Pst races in the U.S.? (Complexity is the mean number of virulences possessed by individual isolates.) Why has this happened?
  • Would we expect this to be a pathogen with a low, medium, or high evolutionary potential? Why? Are new races frequently found, and if so how do we account for this?
March 15-19, 2010
Spring Break
March 22, 2010 | Guest Lecture
Dr. Charles Mitchell
Department of Biology, UNC Chapel Hill

Pathogens in Multi-Species Host Communities
  • Power Point slides:
  • guest-lecture.ppt
    • HTML version
March 24, 2010
Lecture 25, Cowger
  • Power Point slides:
  • 3-24-10.ppt
    • HTML version
1st Cowger homework due (assigned on March 8)
March 26, 2010
Lecture 26, Cowger | Case study of pathogen evolution: wheat stripe rust

Lecture, discussion of papers and questions assigned on March 12
March 29, 2010
Lecture 27, Cowger | Refuges and gene pyramids
  • Power Point slides:
  • 3-29-10.ppt
    • HTML version
March 31, 2010
Lecture 28, Cowger | Refuges and gene pyramids
  • Power Point slides:
  • 3-31-10.ppt
    • HTML version
  • Required Readings:
  • mundt.pdf
  • Gould 1998.pdf
  • Manyangarirwa et al.pdf
  • Recommended Reading:
  • Gould1986.pdf
April 1-2, 2010
Spring Holiday
April 5, 2010
Lecture 29, Cowger | Host diversity
  • Power Point slides:
  • 4-5-10.ppt
    • HTML version
  • Required Readings:
  • Chin & Wolfe.pdf
  • Garrett and Mundt.pdf
  • Recommended Reading:
  • Zhu et al mixtures.pdf
April 7, 2010
Lecture 30, Cowger | Host diversity
April 9, 2010
Exam 3, Cowger
April 12, 2010
Lecture 31, Marshall | Economic Importance and Historical Context of Breeding for Dsiease Resistance
  • Power Point slides:
  • 4-12-10.ppt
    • HTML version
  • April 12-30, 2010 Assignments (25% of final course grade)
  • Choose a plant disease you are working on or have interest in (not wheat stem rust). Prepare a 3-5 minute talk on why it is important to breed/develop/research disease resistance in the crop/plant/tree in question. Assume talk will be given to a potential funding source and that the source knows little to nothing about your crop or disease. You can use a visual aid, but not more than one (for example one PowerPoint slide). To be given on Wednesday, April 28 or Friday April 30. Worth 40%. (10% of course total)
  • Using the same plant disease, write two short essays on how any two of the following topics are involved/influenced/play a role in the disease. (For example, if you select Victoria blight of oats, your first essay could be on “Host selective toxins” and the second essay on “Sources of resistance”.) Each essay should be no less than one page in length and have 2 references. (Each page should be single-spaced, 12 pt Times New Roman font, with 1 inch margins.) Due on or before May 5. Worth 40%. (10% of course total)
    • Effector/AVR genes
    • R gene structure
    • Red Queen Hypothesis
    • Host selective toxins
    • Biochemical pathway of resistance
    • Quantitative trait locus
    • Gene-for-gene theory
    • Mechanism of qualitative disease resistance
    • Mechanism of quantitative disease resistance
    • Durability of disease resistance
    • Cost of resistance (to the plant)
    • Disease resistance in plant’s indigenous (natural) range
    • Effect of resistance on pathogen fitness
    • Use of qualitative or quantitative resistance
    • Management of host resistance
    • Gene pyramids
    • Host genotype diversity
    • Gene Deployment
    • Sources of resistance
    • Expression of resistance
    • Boom-and-bust cycle
    • Seedling vs. Adult-Plant resistance
    • Marker-Assisted Selection
  • Class participation. Worth 20%. (5% of course total)
David Marshall assignments are also available as a .doc file: PP590-790 Marshall assignments.doc
April 14, 2010
Lecture 32, Marshall | Phenotypic Expression of Disease Resistance

Globalrust.org masthead image and website link

You are encouraged to peruse the entire globalrust.org website. Selecting (clicking) the masthead above will send you to the Borlaug Global Rust Initiative.

To access the Ug99 presentations, you need to go to the website, click on Training under Resources in the left side-bar navigation menu, then scroll-down to Stem Rust Scoring Course, Njoro, Kenya, 28 Sept-6 Oct 2009.

Alternatively, you can go directly here (but miss out on a content-rich website):
Stem Rust Scoring Course, Njoro, Kenya, 28 Sept-6 Oct 2009.
  • Required Reading:
  • Singh et al 2008_Adv in Agronom.pdf
  • Oral Presentation Schedule:
    Wednesday, April 28, 2010
  • Mahendra Dia
  • Adam Call
  • Robert Masson
  • Alex Putman
  • Charlie Zila
  • Steve Todd
  • Sydney Jarrett
  • Ashley Zearfoss
  • Friday, April 30, 2010
  • Benard Yada
  • Carrin Carlson
  • Jared Benson
  • Tyler Steede
  • Oliver Ott
  • Kelly Oates
  • Jose Santa Cruz
April 16, 2010
Lecture 33, Marshall | Pathogen Variability and Disease Resistance
April 19, 2010
Lecture 34, Marshall | Spatial Context of Disease Resistance
  • Required Reading:
  • Marshall-Spatial Comp89.pdf
April 21, 2010
Lecture 35, Marshall | Sources of Disease Resistance in Plants
April 23, 2010
Lecture 36, Marshall | Genetics of Breeding for Disease Resistance
April 26, 2010
Lecture 37, Marshall | Methods of Breeding for Disease Resistance
Final written assignments are due no later than 5:00pm on Wednesday, May 5.
April 28, 2010
Lecture 38, Marshall | Oral Presentations
  • Mahendra Dia
  • Adam Call
  • Robert Masson
  • Alex Putman
  • Charlie Zila
  • Steve Todd
  • Sydney Jarrett
  • Ashley Zearfoss
April 30, 2010
Lecture 39, Marshall | Oral Presentations
  • Benard Yada
  • Carrin Carlson
  • Jared Benson
  • Tyler Steede
  • Oliver Ott
  • Kelly Oates
  • Jose Santa Cruz
May 3, 2010
No Class, University Reading Day
Final written assignments are due no later than 5:00pm on Wednesday, May 5.