A one step PCR-based method for the detection of economically important soft rot Erwinia species on micropropagated potato plants

A simple, rapid and sensitive PCR-based method was developed for the detect ion of all fire subspecies Of Erwinia carotovora, including subsp. carotovo ra and subsp. atroseptica, and all pathovars/biovars of Erwinia chrysanthem i, on plant tissue culture material. Primers SR3F and SR1cR, based on a con served region of the 16S rRNA gene, amplified a DNA fragment of 119 bp from all 65 such strains tested. Detection limits of the method in vitro were 2 .0 x 10(2)-3.4 x 10(3) cfu ml(-1) (equivalent to 1-17 cfu per PCR) and, fol lowing extraction of genomic DNA from plant extract, detection limits were 2.3 x 10(2)-1.9 x 10(4) cfu per microplant sample (equivalent: to 5 cfu - 3 .8 x 10(2) cfu per PCR). To improve the sensitivity of the method in planta , to obviate the need fur complex and laborious DNA extractions, and to rem ove inhibitory substances present in the plant extract, an enrichment step was included prior to PCR. Following enrichment, the sensitivity of detecti on was < 10 cfu per microplant sample. This method provides the first sensi tive means of detecting latent: infection caused by several economically im portant soft rot erwinias simultaneously on potato tissue culture material.