Genetic diversity and population structure of Plasmopara viticola in China

Grape downy mildew is a destructive oomycete disease worldwide for viticulture. A total of 440 infected leaf lesions were collected from nineteen vineyards distributing in the major viticulture regions in China. Six specific SSR markers were used to genetically characterize the Plasmopara viticola populations. A total of 60 alleles were generated and 324 distinct genotypes were identified based on these multi-locus markers. Most populations had high levels of genetic and genotypic diversity. AMOVA analysis showed that majority of the total genetic diversity was distributed within the vineyards while moderate to high genetic differentiation was also observed among some P. viticola populations. Three populations (BJ, GX, and GS2) were clearly separated from the rest of the populations by using PCA and Nei’s genetic distance analysis. Mantel test showed no significant correlation between unbiased Nei’s genetic distance and geographical distance.