A comparison of cultural, morphological and DNA markers for the classification of Pseudocercosporella herpotrichoides

Isolates of Pseudocercosporella herpotrichoides were classified by a variety of established techniques including colony morphology, colour, pathogenicity on seedlings and spore morphology. In all cases, certain isolates could not be clearly classified and correlation between the systems was incomplete. In particular, the typing system of Nirenberg in which two varieties of P. herpotrichoides (var. herpotrichoides and var. acuformis ) are recognized did not correlate with the widely used UK system based on colony morphology on PDA: fast, even (F E) and slow, feathery (S/F). Restriction fragment length polymorphisms in total DNA and rDNA indicated groupings related to morphology (and pathogenicity) with considerable polymorphisms in rDNA of F/E isolates. Generally, good correlation was found between RFLP markers and other tests.