# Genome-Based Development of Genus-Specific PCR Primers for Pestalotiopsis, Neopestalotiopsis, and Pseudopestalotiopsis

## TL;DR

This study develops reliable PCR primers to distinguish three similar fungal genera, improving disease management for plant pathogens.

## Contribution

The novel contribution is the development of genus-specific PCR primers for Pestalotiopsis, Neopestalotiopsis, and Pseudopestalotiopsis using comparative genome analysis.

## Key findings

- The developed primers achieved 97% accuracy in identifying fungal genera from multiple plant sources.
- One strain was correctly identified as non-Pestalotiopsis based on morphology and phylogenetic analysis.
- The primers enable practical and reliable genus-level identification and direct detection from infected tissues.

## Abstract

The genera Pestalotiopsis, Neopestalotiopsis, and Pseudopestalotiopsis share highly similar morphological characteristics. Although species within these genera are recognized as plant pathogens, their pathogenicity can differ even on the same host plant, highlighting the importance of accurate genus-level identification for effective disease management. However, reliable discrimination among these genera based solely on morphology or internal transcribed spacer (ITS) amplicon length is difficult. Therefore, molecular approaches based on ITS sequence data are required for practical and reliable genus-level identification. This study aimed to develop genus-specific PCR primers through comparative genome analysis using genus-specific gene regions identified from available genomic data. The performance of these primers was evaluated using 49 isolates obtained from banana, Japanese andromeda, loquat, rubber, and tea. The primer sets achieved an overall identification accuracy of 97%. One strain could not be assigned to Pestalotiopsis, which exhibited morphological characteristics inconsistent with the genus and was positioned outside the main Pestalotiopsis clade in phylogenetic analyses, supporting the taxonomic validity of the primer-based identification. These results demonstrate that the developed primers provide a reliable and practical tool for genus-level identification and taxonomic assignment of these morphologically similar fungal pathogens, including direct detection from infected plant tissues.