Draft genome sequence of Diaporthe aspalathi isolate MS-SSC91, a fungus causing stem canker in soybean

Diaporthe aspalathi (Syn. Diaporthe phaseolorum var. meridionalis) is the causal agent of the southern stem canker (SSC) disease in soybean. This disease can kill plants from the middle to the end of the growing season resulting in severe yield loss. The mechanisms of SSC disease development and pathogen invasion of soybean are not fully understood. The genome sequence of D. aspalathi has not been described. In this article, we report the successful assembly of the draft genome sequence of a D. aspalathi isolate, designated MS-SSC91, that was isolated from the stem of a field-grown soybean plant in Mississippi, USA in 2006. This study represents the first reported genome sequence of D. aspalathi in the Diaporthe-Phomopsis complex. The whole genome shotgun sequence of the MS-SSC91 isolate has been deposited at DDBJ/EMBL/GenBank under the accession LJJS00000000 and the sequences could be found at the site http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/assembly/GCA_001447215.1/. The MS-SSC91 genome sequences will provide information on the genetic basis of fungal infection of the soybean stem. It is valuable for studying soybean-fungal interactions and developing new control strategies for this pathogen.