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Title: PCR BASED SCAR MARKERS FOR THE DETECTION AND IDENTIFICATION OF PHOMA SCLEROTIODES - THE CAUSE OF BROWN ROOT ROT DISEASE OF ALFALFA

Author
item Larsen, Richard
item Vandemark, George
item GRITSENKO, M - WSU, PULLMAN, WA
item HOLLINGSWORTH, C - UNIV WYOMING, LARAMIE, WY
item GRAY, F - UNIV WYOMING, LARAMIE, WY

Submitted to: Phytopathology
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 5/1/2001
Publication Date: 10/1/2001
Citation: LARSEN, R.C., VANDEMARK, G.J., GRITSENKO, M.A., HOLLINGSWORTH, C.R., GRAY, F.A. PCR BASED SCAR MARKERS FOR THE DETECTION AND IDENTIFICATION OF PHOMA SCLEROTIODES - THE CAUSE OF BROWN ROOT ROT DISEASE OF ALFALFA. PHYTOPATHOLOGY, 91:S53. 2001.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Brown root rot of forage legumes is caused by the soilborne fungal organism Phoma sclerotiodes. The disease has caused severe mortality in alfalfa crops grown in southwest Wyoming. In order to circumvent the lengthy process required for proper identification of the pathogen, a fast and efficient method using DNA sequence characterized amplified regions (SCARs) )was developed. Initially, five RAPD primers amplified products in PCR reactions specific to 19 isolates of P. sclerotiodes. SCAR primer pair OpB12-F27 and OpB12-R26 designed from a resulting RAPD sequence amplified a 499 bp product specific to P. sclerotiodes but no product was produced from Phoma medicagensis or Phoma betae. A second set of SCAR primers OpC15-F30 and OpC15-R29 amplified a single 2000 bp DNA product from each of the 19 P. sclerotiodes isolates tested and including two isolates of medicagensis and four isolates of Phoma betae. Neither SCAR primer pair amplified products in other soilborne root rotting microorganisms included as controls in the evaluation. It is anticipated that the SCARs developed here will be useful for rapid identification of P. sclerotiodes in soils collected during field surveys from potentially infested areas.