Ko. Keller et al., SPECIFIC DETECTION OF GAEUMANNOMYCES-GRAMINIS IN SOIL USING POLYMERASE CHAIN-REACTION, Mycological research, 99, 1995, pp. 1385-1390
The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used to detect the presence of
the fungus that causes take-all disease of cereals, Gaeumannomyces gr
aminis var. tritici, in soil. Amplification of G. graminis-specific pr
oducts in a PCR assay was correlated with levels of take-all disease i
n a range of naturally infested soils. The fungus was detected in soil
s that had a moderate to high level of disease (21-66% of seminal root
s infected). The PCR assay distinguished G. graminis from a wide range
of other soil fungi and was useful in detecting G. graminis on wheat
roots with low to high (7-85% of seminal roots infected) levels of tak
e-all symptoms. The techniques described in this paper are useful for
detecting the take-all fungus in soil and could easily be extended to
the detection of other soil fungi.