Characterization of Botrytis cinerea isolates from chickpea: DNA polymorphisms, cultural, morphological and virulence characteristics

Eight isolates of Botrytis cinerea, causal organism of chickpea from eight different locations of western and eastern Indo-Gangetic Plains (IGP) of India were analyzed for morphological, cultural, virulence and genetic variations. Characterization of virulence and genetic variations of the isolates was based on their pathogenicity against 40 selected chickpea genotypes and randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) analysis, respectively. The isolates differed in their optimum growth, temperature, conidial formation and size of conidia on potato dextrose agar. Based on cluster analysis, the eight test isolates were separated into three pathotypes with two isolates from western and four from eastern IGP grouped together with >80% similarity. Based on cluster analysis of the RAPD banding patterns, genetic similarity of the isolates varied from 14-44%, and the isolates were separated into three groups. However, pathotypes variation detected among B. cinerea isolates could not be differentiated based on the RAPD markers examined