Approaches for eliminating PCR inhibitors and designing PCR primers for the detection of phytopathogenic fungi

The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technology has been used to rapidly detect, characterize, and identify a variety of organisms. In a PCR diagnosis study, the development of PCR primers is one of the most important steps. This paper reviews several major approaches that have been used successfully for designing PCR primers specific to various phytopathogenic fungi. These approaches include using species-specific genes or DNA regions, or anonymous unique DNA regions to design PCR primers. Since the problem with PCR inhibitors is prevalent in PCR diagnosis of plant diseases, we also review various techniques that have been used to circumvent PCR inhibitors derived from plant tissues, soil, air, and water samples.