Specific PCR Detection of Four Quarantine Fusarium Species in Korea

Abstract

Fusarium species, a large group of plant pathogens, potentially pose quarantine concerns worldwide. Here, we focus on the development of a method for detecting four Fusarium species in quarantined plants in Korea: F. solani f. sp. cucurbitae. F. stilboides, F. redolens, and F. semitectum var. majus. Species-specific primers were designed from the nucleotide sequences of either the translation elongation factor-1 alpha (TEF1) gene or RNA polymerase II subunit (RPB2) gene. Two different primer sets derived from TEF1, all specific to F. solani f. sp. cucurbitae, were able to differentiate the two races (1 and 2) of this species. A set of nested primers for each race was designed to confirm the PCR results. Similarly, two primer sets derived from RPB2 successfully amplified specific fragments from five F. stilboides isolates grouped within a single phylogenetic clade. A specific TEF1 primer set amplified a DNA fragment from only four of the 12 F. redolens strains examined, which were grouped within a single phylogenetic clade. All of the F. semitectum var. majus isolates could be specifically detected with a single RPB2 primer set. The specificity of the primer sets developed here was confirmed using a total of 130 Fusarium isolates.