Identification of Eutypa lata by PCR-RFLP

Eutypa lata is a vascular canker pathogen of woody plants commonly diagnosed by isolating the pathogen from infected tissue. Related fungi from the same family, the Diatrypaceae, also have been found in association with grapevine in Californian vineyards. An in situ polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method has been developed for detection of E. lata in infected wood tissue. However, our results indicate that this method also would amplify other Diatrypaceous fungi, which could potentially lead to an incorrect diagnosis. Therefore, we developed a PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) assay. The internal transcribed spacer (ITS)1/5.8S/ITS2 ribosomal DNA region was amplified by PCR using universal primers, and RFLP patterns were determined after digestion with AluI. The restriction profiles obtained served to distinguish E. lata from wood trunk pathogens of grapevine (Phomopsis viticola, Botryodiplodia sp., Phaeoacremonium aleophilum, and Phaeomoniella chlamydospora), Diatrypaceous fungi (Diatrype sp., Diatrypella sp., Eutypella vitis, and Eutypa leptoplaca), and Cryptovalsa sp. found on dead wood of grapevine, and other Eutypa spp. (E.petrakii var. hederae, E. astroidea, E. crustata, and E. lejoplaca), with the exception of E. armeniacae, which we regard as a synonym for E. lata, and E. laevata, which has not been found on grapevine.