Elucidation of molecular variability among isolates Pyricularia griseacausing blast disease in forage pearl millet

Abstract

Pearl millet is an important nutri-cereal for humans and a forage crop for livestock. It is ()Pennisetum glaucumthe only cereal crop that is proficient in adopting punitive climate conditions and peripheral soil. The blast disease caused by is a major problem in pearl millet, causing significant losses in high-yield Pyricularia griseahybrids/varieties grown for fodder. Blast disease is a major biotic threat in the cultivation of pearl millet in northern Madhya Pradesh, especially Gwalior, Morena, Bhind and Sheopur. In this investigation, we studied eight isolates of that cause pearl millet blast disease. We used RAPD and ISSR molecular markers to P. griseaassess their morphology, pathogenicity and genetics. Mycelium growth was investigated maximum in isolate PGMP1, howeverThe pearl millet blast , two isolates ., PGMP1 and PGMP8 were found to be highly virulent. vizfungus population in northern Madhya Pradesh is genetically diverse. RAPD and ISSR markers reliablyexplained the relationships among the different isolates. Our results on the characterization of blast pathogen might be advantageous in devising location-specific disease management strategies in pearl millet against blast disease.