An Assessment of Genetic Relationships between Members of the Phytophthora megasperma Complex and Phytophthora vignae using Molecular Markers

Abstract

Genetic relationships between Phytophora megasperma f. sp. glycinea (Pmg) and morphologically similar taxa, P. megasperma f. sp. medicaginis (Pmm), P. megasperma f. sp. trifolii (Pmt), P. megasperma from Douglas Fir (PmDF) and asparagus (PmAS) and Phytophthora vignae, were explored by restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis of nuclear DNA using random genomic multi-copy, cDNA, and ribosomal DNA probes as well as random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPDs) and RFLP analysis of ribosomal intergenic spacer regions amplified by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Each method detected large differences between these taxa and P. megasperma f. sp. glycinea. P. vignae was more closely related to P. megasperma f. sp. glycinea than the other taxa on the basis of the cDNA RFLPs and RFLPs of PCR amplified rDNA intergenic spacer regions. We conclude that each of the taxa examined represent separate species. This supports the most recent reclassification based on mitochondrial RFLPs and electrophoretic protein patterns of the host-specific taxa to P. sojae (Pmg), P. trifolii (Pmt) and P. medicaginis (Pmm).