Genotypic Characterization of Cherry Witches` Broom Pathogen Taphrina wiesneri Strains

The ascomycetous fungus Taphrina wiesneri, the pathogen of cherry witches` broom, is highly pathogenic to Prunus yedoensis, the most widely planted cherry trees in Korea as park and roadside trees. A collection of 13 strains of the pathogen in Korea and Japan was characterized by 18S rDNA gene sequence and restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis. In cluster analysis based on 18S rDNA gene sequence the strains were divided into 2 clusters. In RFLP analysis of the rDNA-IGS region using HhaI, the strains were separated into four patterns, B, C, D and G, of which pattern G was new.