Image: aFotostock/stock.adobe.comNew research has unlocked the genetic code of a crop damaging fungus, opening the way for improved disease control. Researchers from CSIRO, Australia’s national science agency, have produced a detailed genetic blueprint of a soil borne crop pathogen, supporting improved crop disease management in Australian agriculture. For the first time, researchers have sequenced and assembled a chromosome level genome for the fungal pathogen Rhizoctonia solani AG 8, revealing its complex genetic structure. The fungus causes bare patch disease in wheat, barley and legume crops across Australia, resulting in more than $150 million in crop losses each year. The genome sequence also supports further research into how the fungus causes bare patch disease in different crops and helps guide the development of crop management strategies to reduce its impact.