“…Plasmopara halstedii , causing sunfl ower downy mildew in sunfl ower seeds (Says-Lesage et al 2001 ), could be detected by PCR assay. Tilletia indica , causing Karnal bunt disease in wheat seeds (Frederick et al 2000 ), Rhynchosporium secalis , causing scald disease in barley seeds, Alternaria alternata , A. radicina , and A. dauci in carrot seeds (Konstantinova et al 2002 ), A. brassicae , A. brassicola , and A. japonica , causal agents of black spot in crucifers (Iacomi-Vasilescu et al 2002 ) could be effectively detected by PCR assays. Furthermore, a number of Fusarium species, such as F. culmorum , F. graminearum , F. poae , F. crookwellense , F. sporotrichoides , F. sambucinum , F. avenaceum , F. trinctum and F. nivale , causing fusarium head blight/scab disease in cereals have been differentiated by PCR assay using trichodiene synthase gene (Tri5) (Edwards et al 2001 ).…”