Microsatellite markers for population studies of the rice blast fungus, Magnaporthe grisea

We developed nine new microsatellite markers for rice blast (Magnaporthe grisea) population studies. These markers were used in addition to nine microsatellite markers previously developed by our group for mapping purpose. Altogether, the 18 markers were used in multiplex PCR (polymerase chain reaction) to characterize six populations from different geographical origins. The average number of alleles per locus across populations ranged from 1.2 to 7 and the total number of alleles detected from 2 to 19. Based on this large range of polymorphism, this set of markers is expected to be useful for different kind of population studies at different geographical scales.