Characterisation of European and North American Phytophthora ramorum isolates due to their morphology and mating behaviour in vitro with heterothallic Phytophthora species.

Vegetative growth rate, and size of sporangia, chlamydospores and oospores from 94 P. ramorum isolates were measured and the isolates were paired in vitro with four different heterothallic Phytophthora species isolated from infected nursery plants in Germany. P. ramorum isolates originated from different European countries and from Canada and the USA. 66 of the 67 European isolates were determined as mating type A1; only one isolate was of mating type A2. Of the 27 North American isolates tested, seven (all from nurseries) were determined to be the A1 mating type and 17 to be the A2 mating type. Three isolates did not produce gametangia during the incubation period. Discriminant analysis of all data allowed a grouping based on the vegetative growth rate. The two groups corresponded with the mating type no matter whether the isolates originated from Europe or North America. The A1 isolates were much more homogeneous in their morphology than the A2 isolates. They grew faster, had larger chlamydospores and did not produce gametangia with P. cambivora. Within the A2 group, the single European isolate of mating type A2 (BBA 16/02) and three US isolates showed intermediate characters and were classified with the discriminant function into that of the opposite mating type. The morphological characters and the mating behaviour of the isolates will be discussed.