Characterization of Egyptian Phytophthora infestans population using simple sequence repeat markers

The plant pathogenic oomycete, Phytophthora infestans, is the causal agent of late blight disease in tomato and potato. For characterizing Egyptian P. infestans isolates by DNA marker analysis, 40 isolates of P. infestans were collected from different locations in Egypt during two growing seasons (2012/2013 and 2013/2014). The 40 isolates were grouped into seven genotypes, in which 24 alleles were detected. The identified genotypes were not completely associated with geographic location and sample collection years. These results provide genetic and geographical information for developing a program to manage late blight disease.