Abstract:
The population variation of the rice blast pathogen, PyricziIaricl grisea, and the relationship between DNA Polymorphism and degree of similarity for virulence spectrum were examined. A total of forty-three single spore isolates from thirty- eight blast-infected rice and five blast-infected weed isolates were used in this study. Rice blast isolates were collected from different rice growing areas in Thailand. These samples were talten from Phrae (Pha Pai district), Phitsanulok. Nakorn Pathom (Kamphaengsan district), Chiang Rai (Phan and Samoeng district) and Lampang. DNA Polymorphism was examined by Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA (RAPD). A screen of 80 random oligonucleotide primers identified seven primers, which were selected for the analysis of the blast pathogen DNA. A total of seventy- four reproducible RAPD-fragments ranging in size from 200-2000 bp were scored and 66 fragments (88%) were polymorphic for rice and weed blast pathogen. Only blast-infected rice had 53 reproducible RAPD-fragments and 34 fragments (64.2%) were polymorphic. Fingerprinting grouped the isolates into nine RAPD groups (group A to I) at 80 % similarity using the Unweighted Pair-Group Method of Analysis (UPGMA). All rice pathogenic isolates were clustered into a single subunit with 70% similarity or higher. Weed pathogenic isolates from Roetboellia exaltntn and "Yah-Kon" clearly differed from the rice pathogenic isolates. The percentage of RAPD bands shared between these groups was less than 40% except the grass "Jaa Yah Cha" which showed higher degree of similarity to isolates obtained from rice about 60-65%A total of 29 isolates from rice were inoculated to detect (a)virulence diversity with fifty rice cultivars \vhich some known resistance genes including Thai rice cultivars. To each of the individual isolates. resistant reactions were more common than susceptible reactions. A dendrogram constructed from multiple (a) virulence patterns using UPGMA and all isolates were classified into 8 pathotype groups. In each pathotype group, similarity of the infection type patterns was 80 %. There was no clear between RAPD group and pathotype. Multiple pathotypes occurred in each of five RAPD groups. Conversely, some isolates from different RAPD group were shown to have similarity virulence patterns.