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ARS Home » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #132651
Title: MOLECULAR BASED METHODS FOR THE DETECTION OF RALSTONIA SOLANACEARUM (RACE3/BIOVAR2) AND FOR BIOVAR DIFFERENTIATION

Author
item MARTINI, M - BOLOGNA ITALY
item Lee, Ing Ming
item STEFANI, E - BOLOGNA ITALY

Submitted to: American Phytopathological Society
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 5/10/2002
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Ralstonia solanacearum can be separated into 4 races and 5 biovars. Ralstonia solanacearum race3/biovar2 infects primarily potato, causing brown rot disease, and has never been reported to infect potato in the U.S. Brown rot disease is spread by latently infected seed potatoes; therefore, a highly sensitive diagnostic method is required for quarantine purposes. In the present study, primer pairs designed from a novel repetitive insertion sequence were developed for PCR detection of Ralstonia solanacearum race3/biovar 2. This PCR method provided a reliable and sensitive tool for the specific detection of all the Ralstonia solanacearum race3/biovar2 strains tested, including strains isolated from geranium in the U.S. Southern hybridization and rep-PCR analyses showed that the geranium strains are very closely related to the potato strains. A PCR/RFLP method based on the ribosomal protein operon was also developed for the molecular differentiation of 5 biovars, which are currently distinguished according to different biochemical properties.