Comparative genomics of the brown rot fungi Monilinia fructicola, M. laxa and M. fructigena

Monilinia laxa (Aderh. & Ruhland) Honey, Monilinia fructigena (Pers.) Honey and Monilinia fructicola (G. Winter) Honey are Ascomycetes included in the Sclerotiniaceae family. They are responsible for blossom blight and brown rot, among the most important diseases on stone and pome fruits in the field as well as postharvest, which causes heavy yield losses and reduces shelf life. The impact of brown rot is remarkable, and the universal annual losses from disease outbreaks are severe. The complete draft genomes of M. fructicola strain Mfrc123, M, laxa Mlax316, and M. fructigena strain Mfrg269 have been recently reconstructed, and represent useful resources for investigations on diversity, population biology and plant-pathogen interactions. In this work, a comparative genomic analysis was performed on the three Monilinia assembled genomes. The whole genome investigation yielded new insights on the evolutionary history of the Monilinia genus within Sclerotiniaceae, and genomic differences among the three species were likely ascribed to their adaptation to different environments and hosts. This study improves knowledge on the biology of brown rot pathogens and their interactions with host plants.