Abstract:Late blight caused by the oomycete Phytophthora infestans is one of the most devastating diseases of potato worldwide. The Avr3a, Avr4 and ipiO are effector encoding genes identified in P. infestans, which can be respectively recognized by the corresponding R genes, R3a, R4 and Rpi-blb1 in potato and lead to the subsequent defense reaction in the host. In this study, we investigated the distribution of Avr3a, Avr4 and ipiO in the population of P. infestans from China. avr4, encoding a truncated protein, was found in all isolates. One isolate from potato and two isolates from tomatoes in Sichuan contained Avr3a (encoding Avr3aKI) allele, whereas the rest isolates contained avr3a (encoding Avr3aEM). In total, 25 ipiO variants were detected among these Chinese isolates and 20 of them are new variants. However, all the new ipiO variants belong to the previously classified three ipiO classes and most of the new variants are avirulent. In summary, results of this study suggest that the avr3a and avr4 genes are prevalent in the P. infestans population in China and the resistant gene R3a, R4 of potato can be defeated by most isolates. However, these isolates still contain avirulent ipiO, and they can be recognized by resistant gene Rpi-blb1 in potatoes.