Abstract

Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. psidii is a causal agent of wilt disease of guava in subtropical regions globally. The production of guava fruit is affected by wilt disease thus, there is a need to develop molecular markers for accurate, rapid, specific and sensitive diagnosis ofF. oxysporum. A set of species-specific primers were developed for amplification of the internal transcribed spacer region. Subsequently, polymerase chain reaction- restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) of 18S-28S rRNA was used to analyse the genetic diversity and phylogenetic relationships of F. oxysporum which was isolated from northern agro-ecological regions of India. These finding provide an insight for earlier molecular diagnostic of F. oxysporum for better management of guava wilt disease in India.

Key words: Diagnostic, Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. psidii, management, polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP), Wilt.