Meta-genomic Analysis of Microbial Diversity and Molecular Detection of Quarantine Pathogens Associated with Imported Seed Potato to Sri Lanka. Solanum tuberosum

Transmission of tuber borne diseases is a major cause of yield reduction in potato cultivation in Sri Lanka. The majority of countries follow stringent quarantine regulations to prevent the entry of pathogens with imported potato seed stocks. In this study, 16S rDNA meta-genomic analysis was performed for the detection of bacteria associated with seed potato imported into Sri Lanka for cultivation. The samples were randomly collected from the imported consignments of seed potato. DNA extracted from the seed potato was sequenced by amplifying ~400 bp fragments of the 16S ribosomal RNA gene. Illumina next generation sequencing platform was used. The sequences were analysed using the DADA2 and MG-RAST analysis pipelines which implemented workflows for sequence alignment with ribosomal RNA databases. The sequence analysis resulted in bacterial metagenomic profiles of each sample and provided information about endophytic, quarantine and non-quarantine bacterial pathogens.