Detection ofPhytophthora parasiticafrom Soil and Host Tissue with a Species-Specific DNA Probe

(...) To determine the feasibility of quantifying P. parasitica in soil with a DNA hybridization assay, the amount of P. parasitica DNA detected in leaf disk baits was compared to the number of propagules estimated by the most probable number method for the same soil samples. The relationship between the two sets of data, however, varied with sampling date. Although this assay method did not reliably quantify populations of P. parasitica, the results demonstrate that a DNA probe can detect P. parasitica in soil at population levels comparable to those detected by baiting methods