Genomics and Biochemical Approaches to Characterize the Role of Fungi in Food and Feed Crops to Improve Quality and Safety of Agricultural Systems

The long-term vision of this research program is to explore and characterize the role of yeast and mold (fungi) in food and feed-associated crops to improve the quality and safety of food and agricultural commodities. Specific short-term goals/objectives that align to this long-term vision are.1. To identify natural compounds (volatile and non-volatile) and characterize the regulatory role of these compounds that control production of aflatoxin in Aspergillus flavus and A. parasiticus, major aflatoxin producers in food and feed crops.2. To investigate the molecular mechanism and cellular function of aflatoxin biosynthesis in A. flavus and A. parasiticus (genotype-phenotype association).3. To determine the functional role of aflatoxin biosynthesis (secondary metabolism) in mediating host-pathogen interaction in A. flavus and A. parasiticus.4. To characterize the role of fungal microbial populations (fungal microbiome or mycobiome) in addition to bacterial populations in tractable model systems to enable precise and targeted manipulation of select populations and/or species that could drive specific phenotypic outcomes.