New Zealand Journal of Crop and Horticultural Science abstracts
Genetic variation in New Zealand populations of the plant pathogen
Sclerotinia sclerotiorum
MARGARET A. CARPENTER1*
CHRIS FRAMPTON2
ALISON STEWART1+
1Soil, Plant and Ecological Sciences Division
P. O. Box 84
Lincoln University
Canterbury, New Zealand
email: StewartA@lincoln.ac.nz
2Centre for Computing and Biometrics
P. O. Box 84
Lincoln University
Canterbury, New Zealand
*Present address: Canterbury Health Laboratories,
P. O. Box 151,
Christchurch, New Zealand.
Abstract Genetic variation of the fungal plant pathogen
Sclerotinia sclerotiorum (Lib.) de Bary was examined using DNA
fingerprinting. Seventy-five isolates of S. sclerotiorum were collected
from four populations in the South Island of New Zealand. DNA fingerprints were
generated for each isolate by Southern blotting using a cloned repetitive
sequence, pLK44.20, as a probe. The 47 different fingerprints produced revealed
a high level of variation both within and between populations. Comparison of
fingerprint similarities indicated substantial local movement of isolates but
gave little evidence for long-range dispersal. A subset of the isolates was
tested for mycelial compatibility. Pairs with identical or highly similar DNA
fingerprints gave compatible reactions, whereas isolates whose fingerprints
were dissimilar were incompatible. The high level of variation observed in New
Zealand populations of S. sclerotiorum has relevance for control of
diseases caused by this pathogen, as any method of disease control must be
effective across the range of pathogen variation.
Keywords Sclerotinia sclerotiorum; DNA fingerprinting;
population genetics; mycelial compatibility; RFLP; genetic variation
+Author to whom correspondence is to be
addressed.
H98027
Received 12 June 1998; accepted 3 November
1998
PDF file of entire paper: medium quality (1298K); (scanned from paper original: notes about this process)
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