DNA DIAGNOSTIC FOR ARMILLARIA SPECIES IN BRITISH-COLUMBIA - WITHIN AND BETWEEN SPECIES VARIATION IN THE IGS-1 AND IGS-2 REGIONS

Intensive sampling of British Columbia isolates of Armillaria species confirmed the usefulness of a species diagnostic based on restriction site differences in the first ribosomal intergenic spacer region. Grea ter variation within species and new fragment patterns were observed c ompared to earlier reports. The only species confusion observed using this marker was between A. gallica and some isolates of A. sinapina. T hese isolates could be distinguished by restriction site differences i n the second intergenic spacer. Use of both sections of the ribosomal intergenic spacer region confirms identifications based on the first i ntergenic spacer, and provides additional data for species which have the same restriction sites in the first intergenic spacer.