Tea Blister blight, which is caused by Exobasidium vexans Massee is the most serious tea leaf disease in Sri Lanka. The disease is primarily controlled by fungicidal sprays. Continuous application of fungicides can contribute to the development of new races/strains. Therefore, current study was conducted to identify morphological and genetical variation of E. vexans. Infected leaf samples collected from quite apart and geographically more diverse regions representing Kandy, Passara, and Talawakele in Sri Lanka were analyzed for morphological parameters such as length and width of spores. DNA extracted from spores, which were collected from mature blisters of different samples, was assessed by RAPD-PCR to identify molecular differences. Statistical analysis was performed using SAS statistical software package. Significant differences were obtained for length and width of E. vexans spores of different isolates. In the liquid media tested, sucrose and lactose solutions were found to be better for the germ tube elongation, than the rest. RAPD-PCR based characterization affirmed genetical variation of E. vexans among the different climatic regions and also among the four cultivars tested.
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