PECTIC ENZYME PATTERNS AS A TAXONOMIC TOOL FOR THE CHARACTERIZATION OF GREMMENIELLA SPP ISOLATES

Isolates of different species of the conifer pathogen Gremmeniella, in cluding some cultures from western Canada and some endophytic isolates , have been characterized by pectic enzyme patterns. Pectinase isozyme patterns are in good agreement with results of electrophoresis of myc elial water-soluble proteins. The North American and European races of G. abietina var. abietina can be distinguished on the basis of a cath odal polygalacturonase band present in all isolates of the former but absent in the latter. Another band, present in all isolates, shows pol ymorphisms related to the host from which the isolates are derived, th us making it possible to group them on a pathogen race - host genus ba sis. Sixteen isolates originating from western Canada that were previo usly found to belong to the North American race with a water-soluble p rotein assay were also found to belong to that race following the anal ysis of pectic enzymes. It was not possible using our assay to disting uish between isolates of Brunchorstia pinea var. cembrae and others de rived from other Pinus spp. Among the endophytic isolates, the Pinus c embra endophytes show the same polygalacturonase profile as those from diseased pines.