The aim of this study was to propose and validate a low cost identification system for Phytophthora species based on a set of polymorphic microsatellite (SSRs) markers.
Thirty-three isolates representing Phytophthora infestans, Phytophthora andina, Phytophthora sojae, Phytophthora cryptogea, Phytophthora nicotianae, Phytophthora capsici and Phytophthora cinnamomi species were obtained, and 13 SSRs were selected as potentially transferable markers between these species. Amplification conditions, including annealing temperatures, were standardized for several markers.
A subset of these markers amplified in all species, showing species-specific alleles.
The adaptability and impact of the identification system in Colombia, an Andean agricultural country where different Phytophthora species co-exist in the same or in several hosts grown together, are discussed.