Preliminary notes on the population structure of Heterobasidion abietinum from Abies pinsapo in Spain

Abstract

A molecular study using M13 minisatellite amplifi cation was carried out to ascertain the origin of the fungal isolates of Heterobasidion abietinum collected from Abies pinsapo in Andalucia (Spain). Isolates were compared with those from A. alba in neighboring countries. Analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) detected signifi cant differences between H. abietinum isolates from A. pinsapo and isolates from A. alba in France and Italy. Variance within the population from A. pinsapo was lower. The genetic differentiation of the fungus reflects differences in the distribution of the host species such as A. pinsapo and A. alba.