Heterokaryon compatibility and genetic recombination within a host plant between hop wilt isolates of Verticillium albo–atrum

Heterokaryon compatibility was tested by pairing complementary auxotrophic mutants of three fluctuating (M18, M33 and M50) and three progressive (PV1, PV2 and PV3) hop wilt isolates of Verticillitim albo–atrum . The criteria of compatibility adopted were prototrophic growth on a glucose minimal medium at 26°C and the presence of diploid conidia. Most pairings produced at least some heterozygous diploids, showing there was no complete incompatibility barrier to hyphal and nuclear fusion on an agar medium. The incidence of prototrophic diploidy was greater within paired mutants of progressive isolates, and between PV1 and the three fluctuating isolates. A recombinant haploid prototroph was re–isolated following inoculation of Antirrhinum plants with a pair of complementary auxotrophs (M18 nic -4 cob -26 and PV3 arg -8 pyr -2). In hop, this recombinant was of intermediate pathogenicity compared with the two parental wild–type isolates. Four large–spored, diploid isolates were obtained from Antirrhinum following inoculation with heterozygous diploid conidia (M18 nic -4 cob -26/PV3 arg -8 pyr -2) from diploids synthesized on agar. All four diploids remained stable on agar and one showed moderately high pathogenicity in hop, from which it was re–isolated as a stable diploid 10 weeks later.