Letters in Applied Microbiology (2019) 69, 358-365

A.C. Udayashankar, S. Chandra Nayaka, B. Archana, T.R. Lakshmeesha, S.R. Niranjana, O.S. Lund and H.S. Prakash (2019)
Specific PCR-based detection of Phomopsis vexans the cause of leaf blight and fruit rot pathogen of Solanum melongena L.
Letters in Applied Microbiology 69 (5), 358-365
Abstract: Leaf blight and fruit rot disease caused by Phomopsis vexans is a devastating disease of brinjal. The detection of P. vexans in plant parts and seeds of brinjal can be complicated, mainly when the inoculum is present at low levels and/or overgrown by fast-growing saprophytic fungi or other seed-borne fungi. A PCR-based diagnostic method was developed with specific primers designed based on sequence data of a region consisting of the 5·8S RNA gene and internal transcribed spacers, ITS 1 and ITS 2 of nuclear ribosomal RNA gene (rDNA) repeats of P. vexans. The efficiency and specificity of primer pairs PvexF/PvexR designed were established by PCR analysis of DNA from P. vexans strains isolated from India and fungal isolates of other genera. A single amplification product of 323-bp was detected from DNA of P. vexans isolates. No cross-reaction was observed with any of the other isolates tested. The specific primers designed and employed in PCR detected P. vexans up to 10 pg from DNA isolated from pure culture. This is the first report on the development of species-specific PCR assay for identification and detection of P. vexans. Thus, PCR-based assay developed is very specific, rapid, confirmatory and sensitive tool for the detection of pathogen P. vexans at early stages.
(The abstract is excluded from the Creative Commons licence and has been copied with permission by the publisher.)
Link to article at publishers website
Database assignments for author(s): Siddapura Ramachandrappa Niranjana

Research topic(s) for pests/diseases/weeds:
identification/taxonomy
surveys/sampling/distribution

---

Pest and/or beneficial records:

Beneficial	Pest/Disease/Weed	Crop/Product	Country	Quarant.
	Diaporthe vexans	Eggplant (Solanum melongena)