Vegetative compatibility groups within Verticillium dahliae isolates from different hosts in Greece

Abstract

Forty-four isolates of Verticillium dahliae obtained from different diseased hosts were tested by vegetative compatibility group (VCG) analysis to investigate their genetic relatedness and correlate the results with four VCGs (1, 2, 3, 4) previously described. Based on complementarily of nit mutants, only three VCGs were identified from the Greek isolates. Seventeen isolates were assigned to VCG2 (A or B), two to VCG3 and eight to VCG4 (A or B). The 17 remaining isolates could not be grouped to any of the three VCGs. All isolates belonging to a distinct VCG complemented strongly with at least one of the two tester strains of that group, or with several strains of the Greek collection belonging to that VCG.