Species-specific diagnostics using a β-1,4-endoglucanase gene for Pratylenchus spp. occurring in the Pacific Northwest of North America

A PCR assay was designed and optimised to differentiate fourPratylenchusspecies commonly encountered in soil and root samples from the Pacific Northwest of North America. Species-specific primers were designed to accessions fromPratylenchusspecies deposited in GenBank which encoded aβ-1,4-endoglucanase gene. The optimisedβ-1,4-endoglucanase gene primer sets produced amplicons that were 380, 293, 528 and 364 bp fromP. crenatus,P. neglectus,P. penetransandP. thornei, respectively. Primer sets were tested successfully for functionality and specificity within each of the four species as well as against other species not commonly found in the Pacific Northwest. This method allowed for the identification of juveniles to species, thereby precluding the necessity of the presence of females in a sample for accurate diagnostics. Ultimately, this diagnostic PCR assay could be used as an efficient tool for rapid diagnostics of thesePratylenchusspecies recovered from soil and root samples in any laboratory equipped for PCR.