Abstract
Sphaeropsis shoot blight and canker, caused by Sphaeropsis sapinea. occurs on coniferous hosts worldwide and has resulted in considerable damage in the north central United States. Differences in morphology among isolates from this region suggest the existence of two subgroups, referred to as A and B morphotypes. However, these morphological differences are not consistent. Random amplified polymorphic DNA markers (RAPDs) were obtained for 16 A and 16 B morphotype isolates of S. sapinea collected in Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin from Pinus banksiana, P nigra, P resinosa, P. strobus, and P. sylvestris. Relationships among isolates were determined using both cluster analyses and parsimony methods. All analyses placed the A morphotype isolates in one group and the B morphotype isolates in another group. Accurate identification of isolate morphotype will be useful in future pathological studies. These techniques may also help resolve relationships among S. sapinea isolates from their numerous hosts throughout the world.
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