Phytophthora pluvialis (P. pluvialis) is the causative agent of red needle cast (RNC) disease in radiata pine. Currently, RNC is seen as a cause of concern in the North Island but is trickling its way down into the South Island. This could widely impact New Zealand’s economy, as the export of pine wood approximates $6.7 billion or 1.6% of the country’s overall GDP.

Studies published on P. pluvialis are aimed towards identifying movement of the disease, elimination strategies, identification methods and deriving genomic data during infection. Not much is known about the impacts of abiotic stress caused by climate change on the disease. In this research, I investigate the optimal growth temperature, effects of drought and salinity stress on the growth rate of several P. pluvialis strains. First, 21°C was identified as the temperature with the highest mycelial growth, for the following five different P. pluvialis strains; 3000, 3618, 3632, 3880 and 4015. Secondly, the growth rate of mycelium was quantified during 7 days of exposure to drought and salinity stress, using varying concentrations of polyethylene glycol (PEG) and sodium chloride (NaCl), respectively. Finally, bZIP transcription factor family known to be involved in oxidative stress in P. infestans was analyzed in detail for P. pluvialis using a computational approach including phylogenetic analyses and protein modelling to determine conserved regions.