Intraspecific Variability within Globodera tabacum solanacearum Using Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA

Random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPDs) were used to investigate the intraspecific variability among 19 geographic isolates of Globodera tabacum solanacearum from eight counties in Virginia and one county in North Carolina. Globodera tabacum tabacum, G. t. virginiae, and the Mexican cyst nematode (MCN) were included as outgroups. Six primers were used and 119 amplification products were observed. Each primer yielded reproducible differences in fragment patterns that differentiated the isolates and species. Hierarchical cluster analysis was performed to illustrate the relatedness among isolates and species. The average Jaccard's similarity index among isolates of G. t. solanacearum was 74%, possibly representing greater variation than that reported in the literature across different pathotypes of the potato cyst nematode, Globodera pallida, in studies where RAPD were also employed. The RAPD markers described here may be useful for the development of specific primers or probes that could improve the identification of TCN populations. Such improvements in the characterization of TCN genotypes would facilitate the effective deployment of existing and future resistant cultivars to control these economically important pests.