Genetic Variability in Rhizoctonia solani Isolated from Vitis vinifera Based on Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphism

Problem statement: Rhizoctonia solani is a potential grapevine pathogen. In order to develop effective methods of control, it is necessary to document its genetic diversity. Approach: The objective of this study was to analyze the genetic variability of R. solani isolated from the rhizosphere of ungrafted V. vinifera var. perlette seedless planted in Sonora, Mexico using Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphism (AFLP). Results: In the selective amplification using eight primer combinations we obtained a total of 446 AFLP markers with a 100% polymorphism. Out of 41 isolates, 36 different AFLP patterns were observed and five were replicates of the same pattern. The dendrogram shows inter- and intrapopulation similarity indexes of 0.26, 0.98 and 0.31, 0.98, respectively. Six groups emerged from the principal components analysis, five of which were clearly defined, while the other one was spread out. Conclusion: We conclude that R. solani growing in Sonoran vineyards shows a high degree of genetic variability, even under similar environmental conditions.