Variation in Heterobasidion annosum detected by Random Amplified Polymorphic DNAs

Abstract

Abstract The production of Random Amplified Polymorphic DNAs (RAPDs) by Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) was used to detect variation in the isolates of Heterobasidion annosum with various geographical origins. Specific RAPD products were detected for each of the intersterility groups: the European S, F, P and the North American S group. There was considerably more polymorphism found among European S than P isolates. The analysis of RAPDs was shown to be a simple and a fast way to generate DNA markers specific to the previously established intersterility groups and thus useful for diagnostic purposes.