ABSTRACT
Introduction Sugarcane is the host of at least nine diseases caused by bacterial pathogens (Table 1). These diseases can be controlled by several means, including resistant varieties, propagation of healthy planting material in nurseries and safe movement of sugarcane germplasm from one country to an other using quarantine facilities. Control of major diseases such as leaf scald, gumming and ratoon stunting requires the use of efficient diagnostic techniques. Xanthomonas albilineans and Clavibacter xyli subsp. xyli are often difficult to detect or diagnose either due to latency or the lack of diagnostic symptoms. In recent years, various nucleic acid methods have
been developed to identify and detect plant pathogens. Among others, the efficiency of these procedures relies on a good knowledge of the genetic diversity of the bacterial species in order to identify or detect all the existing strains of the pathogen.
