title: Physiological and molecular characterization of Phytophthora infestans isolates from the Central Colombian Andean Region.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Late blight, caused by Phytophthora infestans, is one of the most devastating diseases found in potato and tomato crops worldwide. In Colombia it also attacks other important crops: cape gooseberry and tree tomato. The knowledge of the pathogen population is determinant to effectively design control strategies.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To determine the physiological and molecular characteristics of a set of Colombian P. infestans isolates.
  
  
  METHODS
  Strains isolated from Cundinamarca and Boyacá were examined for the level of resistance to mefenoxam and cymoxanil. Virulence was tested for all strains and crosses between A1 mating type, from different hosts, and the Colombian A2 mating type were tested for the production and viability of oospores in different substrates. Additionally, the molecular diversity of the avirulence gene Avr3a, the β-tubulin gene, and two single copy genes showing RxLR motif, was assessed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We found all levels of mefenoxam sensitivity, with 48% of the strains resistant. A high diversity of races was detected and the population was genetically clonal. Colombian strains had the possibility of sexual reproduction.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results will help in optimizing the use of fungicides and deployment of resistance as control strategies and will contribute to broader studies on diversity of this pathogen.
authors.affiliation: Laboratorio de Micología y Fitopatología, Departamento de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad de Los Andes, Bogotá, DC, Colombia.
authors.forename: María C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Céspedes
authors.forename: Martha E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Cárdenas
authors.forename: Angela M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Vargas
authors.forename: Alejandro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rojas
authors.forename: Juan G
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Morales
authors.forename: Pedro
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Jiménez
authors.forename: Adriana J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Bernal
authors.forename: Silvia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Restrepo
mesh_terms: D000081:Acetamides / Q000494:pharmacology; D000409:Alanine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000494:pharmacology; D020816:Amino Acid Motifs; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000890:Anti-Infective Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D003105:Colombia; D017124:Conserved Sequence; D003433:Crosses, Genetic; D004351:Drug Resistance; D014644:Genetic Variation; D006239:Haplotypes / Q000235:genetics; D018895:Microsatellite Repeats; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D055750:Phytophthora infestans / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000472:pathogenicity; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D011198:Solanum tuberosum / Q000469:parasitology; D013045:Species Specificity; D014404:Tubulin / Q000235:genetics; D014774:Virulence; D037521:Virulence Factors / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: C562170:AVR3a protein, Phytophthora infestans; D000081:Acetamides; D000890:Anti-Infective Agents; D014404:Tubulin; D037521:Virulence Factors; C028175:metalaxyl; C025644:2-cyano-N-((ethylamino)carbonyl)-2-(methoxyimino)acetamide; C473256:mefenoxam; D000409:Alanine