Genetic analysis of the obligate parasitic barley powdery mildew fungus based on RFLP and virulence loci.

Genome organization of the biotrophic barley powdery mildew fungus was studied using restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP). Genomic DNA clones containing either low-or multiple-copy sequences appeared to be the best RFLP markers, as they frequently revealed polymorphisms that could be readily detected. A total of 31 loci were identified using 11 genomic DNA clones as probes. Linkage analysis of the 31 RFLP loci and five virulence loci resulted in the construction of seven groups of linked loci. Two of these contained both RFLP markers and virulence genes. RFLP markers were found to be very efficient in characterizing mildew isolates, as only three markers were necessary to differentiate 28 isolates. The DNA of the barley powdery mildew fungus appeared to contain a considerable number of repetitive sequences dispersed throughout the genome.