DETECTION OF CLAVIBACTER-MICHIGANENSIS SUBSP SEPEDONICUS BY DNA AMPLIFICATION

Control of bacterial ring rot ultimately depends on the accurate and s ensitive detection of C. michiganensis subsp. sepedonicus in infected potato tissues and tubers. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) based detec tion of C. michiganensis subsp. sepedonicus appears to have the potent ial to circumvent many of the problems currently associated with detec tion of this phytopathogen. PCR reactions using primers specific to C. michiganensis subsp, sepedonicus and genomic DNAs from related strain s, including phytopathogens, did not produce any amplification product s. C. michiganensis subsp. sepedonicus was detectable from a mixture o f potato and bacterial DNA by amplification of a DNA sequence specific to C michiganensis subsp. sepedonicus. Detection by DNA amplification allowed direct processing of plant tissue samples, and circumvented t he need for prior isolation of the suspected phytopathogen.