Potential of RAPD for rapid detection of Bayoud disease
Studies have been carried out to evaluate the potential of RAPD analysis to differentiate Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. albedinis from other F. oxysporum associated with wilted date palms. 17 isolates of F. oxysporum (of known pathogenicity) from wilted palms or from the rhizosphere, and collected in three palm groves in Morocco, have been analysed. Results obtained indicated that the RAPD technique allows differentiation of F. oxysporum f. sp. albedinis from other non-pathogenic F. oxysporum associated with date palms. The authors concluded that RAPD is a promising tool for rapid detection of the pathogen from any sample (infected palm tree or soil extract). However further studies will have to be carried out on a wider collection of isolates which has already been set up, and also with other characterization methods (like vegetative compatibility groups and mtDNA RFLP).
Sources
Fernandez, D.; Tantaoui, A. (1994) Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA (RAPD) analysis: a tool for rapid characterization of Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. albedinis isolates?
Phytopathologia mediterranea, 33 (3), 223-229.