Background : The soil-borne ascomycete fungus Ilyonectria rdicicola species complex is commonly associated with root rot disease symptoms in ginsneg. Its virulence has been attributed, among other factors, to the activity of hydrolytic cell wall-degrading enzymes (CWDE).
Methods and Results : To establish a rapid and accurate detection of Ilyonectria rdicicola, a species-specific primer was developed based on the putative genes of cell wall–degrading enzyme (pectinase, polygalactose, xylanase, xylosidase). Species-specific primer based on the DNA sequences of gene amplified about 200 - 300 bp polymerase chain reaction (PCR) product for Ilyonectria mors-panacis.
Conclusion : The primer pair yielded the predicted PCR product size exactly in testing with target pathogen DNAs, but not from the other species of Ilyonectria and species of other phytopathogenic fungi. The primer pair also showed only the species-specific amplification curve on realtime PCR on target pathogen DNA. The detection sensitivity of real time PCR using species-specific primer pair was 10 to 100 times higher than conventional PCR, with 1 to 10 pg/㎕. The approach outlined here could be further utilized as a rapid and reliable tool for the diagnosis and monitoring of the root rot of ginseng.