Molecular identification of some turfgrass cultivars and their resistance to Fusarium graminearum.

Ten turfgrass cultivars (three cultivars of bermudagrass ( Cynodon dactylon ) hybrids, Common bermudagrass, Paspalum, SaintAugustine, El-Toro ( Zoysia japonica ), Korean Velvetgrass ( Zoysia tenuifolia ), SI 2000, and Mahar cultivar were investigated using ISSR fingerprinting as genetic marker to assess genetic diversity. Analysis of the six ISSR primers among the turfgrass cultivars in this study generated 51 bands. Over 96% (49 bands) were found to be polymorphic in the turfgrass cultivars. The genetic similarity coefficients among all turfgrasses ranged from 0.43 to 0.88. The dendogram constructed with UPGMA analysis revealed two main clusters. Also, SCAR marker was performed on DNA extracts of rhizome of turfgrass cultivars for detection of the fungus F. graminearum . St. Augustine and Mahar cultivars were the most susceptible cultivars to infection F. graminearum , whereas the other turfgrass cultivars were resistant cultivars.