GENETIC CHARACTERIZATION OF SPORISORIUM SCITAMINEUM ISOLATES IN SUGARCANE THROUGH RAPD ANALYSIS.

In sugarcane, fungal attack of Sporisorium scitamineum causing smut disease has resulted in noticeable yield losses and reduced cane quality. In the current study, RAPD technique was used for the identification of pathogen pathotypes involved in infection and development of whip smut disease in sugarcane. To study the genetic diversity in S. scitamineum from 12 sugarcane-producing areas of Sindh, 36 isolates of S. scitamineum were collected and assessed using random amplification of polymorphic DNA (RAPD) method. The genetic variation is amplified by PCR using six RAPD primers each of them consist of ten base pairs. Cluster analysis of the RAPD data was performed and S. scitamineum isolates were divided into six different clusters. The outcomes of our current studies will be helpful in the examination of the molecular diversity of S. scitamineum and for the development of the genetic foundation for the differentiation of pathogenicity and detecting the new races. Moreover, our outcomes might offer beneficial regarding pathogen selecting principle in smut resistant sugarcane germplasm and distribution of varieties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]