Southern corn rust (SCR), caused by Puccinia polysora (P. polysora), is a major foliar disease that threatens global maize production. Current SCR management strategies prioritize genetic resistance and chemical control, but how foliar endophytic fungal communities modulate host susceptibility to P. polysora remains poorly understood. In this study, we profiled the endophytic communities in P. polysora-infected and noninfected maize leaves across 14 geographically distinct regions in eastern China. Our results revealed that P. polysora infection significantly altered the foliar endophytic comm...
