A polymerase chain reaction-based method to specifically detect Alternaria alternata apple pathotype (A. mali), the causal agent of Alternaria blotch of apple

Alternaria alternata apple pathotype (previously A. mali) causes Alternaria blotch on susceptible apple cultivars through the production of a host-specific toxin, AM-toxin. Identification of some Alternaria species, especially those that produce host-specific toxins, has been extremely difficult due to a high lever of variability which extends even to nonpathogenic isolates. We have recently cloned and characterized a gene (AMT) that plays a crucial role in AM-toxin biosynthesis and demonstrated that it is only present in isolates of A. alternata apple pathotype. Using primers designed for the AMT gene, we developed a polymerase chain-reaction-based method to specifically detect AM-toxin producing isolates of A. alternata apple pathotype.