Molecular genetic aspects of diagnostics and identification of phoma blight agents

Molecular phytopathological monitoring offorest nurseries revealed nine major Phomaspecies, which caused needle blight of pine and spruce (Ph. pomorum, Ph. macrostoma, Ph. herbarum, Ph.sp. 1-6). Comparative analysis of diagnostic loci identified major types of species differences, which are represented by mononucleotide substitutions, oligonucleotide deletions and insertions. Genus specific rDNA primers were designed for the subsequent diagnosis of pathogens in plant material and soil by PCR-assay