Designing A Novel Primer Set for GAPDH Gene to Enhance Taxonomic and Phylogenetic Studies of Golovinomyces Species

(Erysiphaceae, Ascomycota) is an obligate plant pathogenic group causing powdery mildew on diverse angiosperm plants, including economically significant crops. Despite advancements in the taxonomy and phylogeny of species using ribosomal DNA markers (ITS and LSU), several taxonomic issues remain unresolved. Previously, the glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase ( ) gene, which exhibits higher nucleotide variation, has been proposed as an additional marker for powdery mildew species. In this study, we designed a new primer set (GoGPD-F and GoGPD-R) to improve the PCR success and efficiency of the gene across various species and dried herbarium specimens. The primers were successful in amplifying and sequencing the gene in sixteen species, including six species not previously registered in GenBank and two undescribed species. This development is a significant contribution to future research on the identification, taxonomy, and phylogeny of species, offering a more robust tool for resolving existing taxonomic issues.