Identification and characterization of Armillaria tabescens from the southeastern United States

In the southeastern USA, Armillaria root rot disease on peach (Prunus persica) is caused by Armillaria tabescens, and to a lesser degree by A. mellea. Recent attempts to genetically characterize A. tabescens isolates using rDNA indicated the existence of heterozygosity in diploid isolates. In order to clarify this heterozygosity, DNA from stipe and single spore cultures of A. tabescens isolate SC.MF-1.01 was characterized using RFLP and sequence analysis. Direct sequencing of rDNA amplicons from diploid stipe tissue indicated heterozygosity in the IGS1 and ITS2 regions. IGS1 copies A and B, and ITS copies A and B segregated in a 1:1 ratio in single spore progeny, whereby IGS1 copy A always segregated with ITS copy A and IGS1 copy B always segregated with ITS copy B. The results indicate the existence of divergent haplotypes in the two nuclei of SC.MF-1.01 diploid mycelium and a single locus for rDNA tandem repeats. Additional IGS1 copies, designated IGS1 copy C, D, and E, with variable AluI restriction sites were cloned from SC.MF-1.01 diploid mycelium indicating polymorphism within ribosomal tandem repeats in A. tabescens. IGS1 copies C, D, and E were found once each in 100 clones analyzed, and therefore seemed to be rare compared to copies A (44 clones) and B (53 clones). RFLP and sequence analysis of the ribosomal IGS1 and ITS1 regions in North American A. tabescens isolates indicated that heterozygosity is common in A. tabescens diploid mycelium. A PCR-based molecular technique was developed to distinguish A. tabescens from many other North American Armillaria species, including A. mellea.