Molecular characterization of Acidovorax avenae, the causal agent of red stripe, in Tucumán, Argentina.

BERTANI RP; PERERA MF; JOYA CM; HENRIQUEZ DD; FUNES C; CHAVES S; GONZÁLEZ V; CUENYA MI; CASTAGNARO AP

San Miguel de Tucumán

Congreso; XXX ISSCT Congress; 2019

Red stripe, caused by Acidovorax avenae, has increased in significance in Tucumán,Argentina, over the past decade. The aims of this study were to: i) establish an adequatemolecular technique that reflects pathogen genetic diversity of A. avenae isolated fromsugarcane producing areas of Tucumán, and ii) correlate genetic diversity with virulence. Onehundred and twelve out of the 321 A. avenae suspected samples were confirmed by speciesspecific PCR. A. avenae isolates were characterized by repetitive element polymorphismbased polymerase chain reaction (rep-PCR) and Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphism(AFLP), and a high level of genetic diversity was found. However, there was no apparentcorrelation between the isolate groups and sugarcane host genotype, its age or the type oftissue sampled, fertilization, or the year of sampling. Six A. avenae isolates (belonging todifferent rep-PCR similarity groups) were evaluated for pathogenicity and no statisticallysignificant correlation between the virulence of the isolates and the genetic group that theybelong to was found. The better understanding of the genetic and pathogenic diversityobtained and the existence of genotype-genotype specific interactions between sugarcanevarieties and A. avenae isolates could allow developing management strategies.