Virome sequencing is a high throughput method to identify and classify communities of viruses, not only in plants but also animals and humans. We will focus on the sequencing of small-interfering RNAs (siRNAs) to discover the virus population in plant samples. The resulting information analysis relies on viral databases that are constantly evolving, and software tools constantly being updated. Therefore, we will explore all of these aspects in this workshop.

The workshop will consist of two modules: i) a wet bench workshop for training around the experimental design and DNA library preparation, and ii) a bioinformatics module overviewing multiple applications of Virome Sequencing, and its application in agricultural systems. People interested in this workshop may apply for both modules (limited to 10 participants) or only for the bioinformatics module (limited to 25 participants). Selection of participants will be based on application form. 

The bioinformatics module includes a pipeline for detailed computational analysis of virome data; including genomic analysis tools such as Virus-DetectW, phylogenetic and recombination analysis with MegaX and RDP and network  analysis using the statistical package R. Also, publicly available resources for virus analysis and their application will be implemented during the workshop.

The detection of pathogens is an essential task for people working on agricultural systems. In recent years the use of sequencing technologies has enabled the discovery and description of new viruses, even communities of pathogenic entities within crops, for example potato and sweet potato. This is relevant for surveillance and to develop strategies to control these pathogens across borders.