SRAP technique efficiently generates polymorphisms in puccinia striiformis isolates

Wheat stripe rust, caused by the fungal pathogen Puccinia striiformis f.sp. tritici (PST), is a major disease of wheat in temperate-cold climates. The identification of new markers would ease the procedure for evaluating the ongoing pathogen evolution. Twelve single pustule isolates were generated from samples of PST obtained in UK during 1987-2001. They were evaluated for their pathogenic behaviour on a set of differential cultivars and were analysed by sequence-related amplified polymorphisms (SRAP) technique, to identify polymorphisms useful to evaluate variability among isolates. This is the first report of the application of SRAP technique to Uredinales order.