Draft Genome Sequence Resource for <i>Phyllachora maydis</i>—An Obligate Pathogen That Causes Tar Spot of Corn with Recent Economic Impacts in the United States

Abstract

<i>Phyllachora maydis</i> is an important fungal pathogen that causes tar spot of corn and has led to significant yield loss in the United States and other countries. <i>P. maydis</i> is an obligate biotroph belonging to the Sordariomycetes class of Ascomycota. Due to the challenges posed by their obligate nature, there is no genome sequence available in the <i>Phyllachora</i> genus. <i>P. maydis</i> isolate PM01 was collected from a corn field in Indiana and the genome was determined by next-generation sequencing. The assembly size is 45.7 Mb, with 56.46% repetitive sequences. There are 5,992 protein-coding genes and 59 are predicted as effector proteins. This genome resource will increase our understanding of genomic features of <i>P. maydis</i> and will assist in studying the corn<b>-</b><i>P. maydis</i> interaction and identifying potential resistant candidates for corn breeding programs.