Phase-contrast microtomography unveils mechanisms of root colonization by a vascular fungal pathogen (opens in new tab)

Soil-borne vascular pathogens pose serious threats to agriculture with complex invasion strategies that remain poorly characterized compared to foliar pathogens. While foliar pathogens like Magnaporthe oryzae employ specialized appressoria to penetrate plant surfaces through a combination of mechanical force and enzymatic degradation, the invasion mechanisms of vascular pathogens that lack classical appressoria have remained largely theoretical. The nanoscale processes governing root penetrat...