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Research in my lab is focused on the symbiotic association of Epichloë fungal endophytes with their grass hosts. Many commercially important grass species are naturally infected with fungi in the genus Epichloë. These fungi grow in between the plant cells in the above ground parts of the plant. The infected plants are generally asymptomatic and the presence of the fungal endophytes can only be detected microscopically. The presence of the fungal endophytes is generally beneficial to the plants since the fungi synthesize chemicals that are toxic to insects, thus protecting the grass hosts from insect damage. Fungal endophyte infection is preferred for turfgrass cultivars due to the insect resistance conferred by the fungi. In red fescues, endophyte infection also confers some disease resistance, a feature not observed in other turfgrasses. The reason for the endophyte-mediated disease resistance is not known and that is the focus of our research.
