Verticillium nonalfalfae strain VnAa140/NRRL 66861 Genome sequencing and assembly

Verticillium nonalfalfae, a soilborne vascular wilt pathogen, has been used experimentally as a biological control of the invasive tree-of-heaven (Ailanthus altissima) in the eastern U.S. for over a decade. This pathogen was first discovered in naturally infected Ailanthus stands in Pennsylvania in 2003 and has since been isolated from naturally infected Ailanthus stands in Ohio and Virginia. Previous efficacy and host-range studies as well as phylogenetic studies have helped clarify relationships among Verticillium nonalfalfae strains from numerous hosts but genome-level resolution is needed to permit widespread use and/or commercialization of this biocontrol agent.