Botrytis cinerea

Grey mould, caused by the fungus Botrytis cinerea, is one of the more easily recognised plant diseases. Unfortunately, it can also be one of the most difficult to prevent or control. Grey mould can cause dieback and decay of most plant parts, and a huge number of plant species can be affected.  Microscopic examination is necessary formally identify characteristic spores and PCR analysis (can be used to confirm latent infection.

The species-specific LAMP test running on the Genie II instrument allows confirmatory testing of Botrytis cinerea from plant material within 30 minutes from a simple crude extraction performed in a non-laboratory situation. The assay can be used in parallel with the plant control assay (COX (- cytochrome oxidase gene), which allows for the detection of host plant DNA, which acts as an internal control to assist in the interpretation of negative results.