RANDOM AMPLIFIED POLYMORPHIC DNA (RAPD) ANALYSIS OF CRINIPELLIS-PERNICIOSA ISOLATES FROM DIFFERENT HOSTS

DNA sequence polymorphisms among isolates of Crinipellis perniciosa, causing witches' broom disease in several genera and species in the Sterculiaceae, Solanaceae and Bixaceae, were revealed by random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) banding patterns. Comparisons were made among isolates from Theobroma cacao (cultivars SCA6 and SVB), T. grandiflorum, T. obovatum, T. subincanum, Herrania sp. (all collected near Belem, Brazil, at three plots within two kilometres of each other), and Bixa orellana and Solanum rugosum (150 and 1440 km from Belem, respectively). Genetic similarities, as determined by Sorensen's coefficient (Sc-ij; fraction of shared bands), ranged from 1.00 (T. cacao SCA6 and T. grandiflorum) to 0.56 (S. rugosum and T. subincanum). Results indicate that proximity is more important than host species for determining the genetic relationships among isolates, that there were two independent sources of inoculum at the site near Belem, and that the isolate from B. orellana is most closely related to the isolate from T. cacao SVB. Comparisons were also made among multispore cultures from different basidiocarps on the same T. cacao SVB broom, as well as monospore cultures from the same S. rugosum basidiocarp. Banding patterns were similar among basidiocarps on the same broom, but differences were detected among monospore cultures from the same basidiocarp.