Sclerotinia Rot in Stringy Stonecrop Caused by Sclerotinia sclerotiorum

Wan-Gyu   Kim1,*   Hyo-Won  Choi2   Gyo-Bin   Lee1   Weon-Dae Cho2   

1Global Agro-Consulting Corporation, Suwon 16614, Korea
2Crop Protection Division, National Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Wanju 55365, Korea

Abstract

Sclerotinia rot symptoms were observed in stringy stonecrop (Sedum sarmentosum) plants growing in vinyl greenhouses in Yeoju and Icheon, Gyeonggi Province, Korea, during disease surveys in spring 2019 and 2020. The initial symptoms were soft rot on stems and leaves at or above the soil line. Furthermore, the symptoms progressed upwards, and the infected plant parts exhibited white to grayish-yellow discoloration. The infestation of diseased plants in the vinyl greenhouses was 1‒5% at the two locations examined. Eight isolates of Sclerotinia sp. were obtained from lesions of the diseased plants. The isolates were identified as Sclerotinia sclerotiorum based on their morphological and molecular characteristics. In addition, artificial inoculation tested three isolates of S. sclerotiorum for pathogenicity on stringy stonecrop plants. All the tested isolates caused Sclerotinia rot symptoms in the inoculated plants. The symptoms were similar to those observed in plants from the vinyl greenhouses investigated. This study is the first report of S. sclerotiorum causing Sclerotinia rot in stringy stonecrop.

Figures & Tables

Fig. 1.Sclerotinia rot symptoms in stringy stonecrop plants. Symptoms observed in the vinyl greenhouses investigated (A and B). Symptoms induced by artificial inoculation test with an isolate of Sclerotinia sclerotiorum (C). A non-inoculated plants (D).