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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Poplarville, Mississippi » Southern Horticultural Research Unit » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #230602

Title: Microsatellites from the charcoal rot fungus (Macrophomina phaseolina)

Author
item BAIRD, RICHARD - MSU STARKVILLE
item WADL, PHILLIP - UNIV OF TENNESSEE
item WANG, XINWANG - UNIV OF TENNESSEE
item HADZIABDIC, DENITA - UNIV OF TENNESSEE
item Rinehart, Timothy - Tim
item Abbas, Hamed
item SHIER, THOMAS - UNIV OF MINNESOTA
item TRIGIANO, ROBERT - UNIV OF TENNESSEE

Submitted to: Molecular Ecology Resources
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 10/26/2008
Publication Date: 5/1/2009
Citation: Baird, R.E., Wadl, P.A., Wang, X.W., Hadziabdic, D., Rinehart, T.A., Abbas, H.K., Shier, T., Trigiano, R.N. 2009. Microsatellites from the charcoal rot fungus (Macrophomina phaseolina). Molecular Ecology Resources. 9(3):946-948.

Interpretive Summary: During the last decade, soybean yields throughout the United States were significantly lowered by diseases such as anthracnose, Phytophthora rot and charcoal rot. In 2003, soybean diseases reduced the harvest potential for United States producers by 10.2 million metric tons and 21% of those losses were from charcoal rot. In Mississippi the crop value for soybean was $363 million and was rated fourth overall to other agricultural commodities in the state. Charcoal rot which is also called summer wilt, dry weather wilt, or black root disease is incited by the common soilborne fungus Macrophomina phaseolina. Losses from M. phaseolina vary yearly and increases are often attributed to different environmental conditions such as high temperature and drought. It is uncertain what the genetic variability of pathogen within local areas and across large geographical locations. In the current study, we report the development of novel microsatellites from M. phaseolina isolates within a local geographical area using a biotin enrichment protocol and testing their cross amplification in 44 M. phaseolina isolates. These microsatellites will be useful in assessing the genetic diversity of the pathogen from local and diverse geographical areas and ones between different host species.

Technical Abstract: Microsatellite loci were identified from the charcoal rot fungus Macrophomina phaseolina. Primer pairs for 46 loci were developed and of these 13 were optimized and screened using genomic DNA from 44 fungal isolates collected predominantly from two soybean fields in MS. All optimized loci were polymorphic and the number of alleles per locus ranged from 6 to 18. Expected heterozygosity ranged from 0.71 to 0.91. These microsatellites will be useful in population and pathogenicity studies to correspond with development of potential disease resistant soybean and other susceptible crops.