Unraveling the biology, effects and management methods of Sclerotium rolfsii infection in plants for sustainable agriculture
Keywords:
Athelia rolfsii, Blight, Grey rot fungus, Mycelium, Sclerotia, Sclerotium rolfsiiAbstract
Sclerotium rolfsii is an economically important soil-borne fungal pathogen that affects various crops worldwide, causing diseases such as blight, collar rot, crown rot, damping-off, Sclerotium wilt, and stem rot. It primarily attacks stems but can also infect roots, fruits, petioles, leaves, and flowers under favorable conditions. Initial symptoms include yellowing and wilting of leaves, followed by the appearance of white, fluffy mycelium on infected tissues and soil. The fungus forms round, white sclerotia that mature into dark brown or black structures resembling mustard seeds. These sclerotia enable S. rolfsii to survive unfavorable conditions for up to seven years in soil. The fungus has an extensive host range of over 500 species across 100 plant families. S. rolfsii thrives at or near the soil line. Before penetrating host tissue, it produces a considerable mass of mycelium on the plant surface over 2 to 10 days. The pathogen secretes enzymes that degrade the host's outer cell layer, leading to tissue decay, further mycelium production, and sclerotia formation. Managing S. rolfsii is challenging due to its broad host range and persistent sclerotia. Biological control methods have been explored, focusing on bacterial and fungal antagonists. Pseudomonas and Bacillus species have been studied for their ability to inhibit hyphal growth and reduce sclerotia germination. Additionally, antagonistic fungi, including Gliocladium virens, G. roseum, Glomus fascicatum, Penicillium pinophilum, Gigaspora margarita, and various arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, have shown promise in suppressing S. rolfsii.
Downloads
References
1. Tang W, Kuang J, Qiang S. The Pathogenicity of Sclerotium rolfsii on Cyperus difformis and its Potential Host Specificity among the Genus Cyperus. J Plant Pathol Microbiol. 2015; S3: 002.
2. El-Nagar A, Sabry A, Yassin M. Virulence and Host Range of Sclerotium rolfsii and S. cepivorum. J Pure Appl Microbiol. 2013; 7(3): 1693-1705.
3. Domingos L, Bontempo A, Lopes E. Podridão-branca do alho e da cebola. In: Visotto et al. (Eds), Avanços Tecnológicos Aplicados à Pesquisa na Produção Vegetal, Viçosa: Editora UFV, Minas Gerais, Brazil, 2015; p. 139-160.
4. Cuong NL. Diversity and biological control of Sclerotium rolfsii, causal agent of stem rot of groundnut, PhD Thesis, Wageningen University, Wageningen, The Netherlands, 2011.
5. Liamngee K, Zakki YH, Onah DO. Sclerotium rolfsii; Causative organism of southern blight, stem rot, white mold and sclerotia rot disease. Ann Biol Res. 2015; 6 (11): 78-89.
6. Wydra K. Collection and determination of root and stem rot pathogens. Annuals report II T.A., Ibadan, Nigeria, 1996: 6.
7. Billah KM, Billal HM, Mahamud HP, Masud PSM. Pathogenicity of Sclerotium rolfsii on Different Host, and Its over Wintering Survival; A Mini Review. Int J Adv Agric Sci. 2017; 2(7): 1-6.
8. Xu ZH, Harrington TC, Gleason ML, Batzer JC. Phylogenetic placement of plant pathogenic Sclerotium species among teleomorph genera. Mycologia. 2010; 102: 337-346.
9. Harlton CE, Levesque CA, Punja ZK. Genetic diversity in Sclerotium (Athelia) rolfsii and related species. Phytopathology. 1995; 85: 1269-1281.
10. Punja ZK, Rahe JE. Sclerotium. In: Methods for research on soilborne phytopathogenic fungi, eds. Singleton LL, Mihail JD, Rush CM. St. Paul, Minnesota: The American Phytopathological Society. 1993.
11. Xu Z, Gleason ML, Mueller DS, Esker PD, Bradley CA, Buck JW, et al. Overwintering of Sclerotium rolfsii and S. rolfsii var. delphinii in different latitudes of the United States. Plant Dis, 2008; 92: 719-724.
12. Uwaidem YI, Okon OG, Udoh LI, Dada AO. Incidence and Severity of Vine Rot and Wilt Disease of Telfairia occidentalis Caused by Athelia rolfii in Southern, Nigeria. Asian Plant Res J. 2024; 12(1): 22-31.
13. Taylor CR, Rodriguez-Kabana R. Optimal rotation of peanuts and cotton to manage soil-borne organisms. Agricult Syst. 1999: 61: 57-68.
14. Punja ZK. Transgenic carrots expressing a thaumatin-like protein display enhanced resistance to several fungal pathogens. Can J Plant Pathol. 2005; 291-296.
15. Aycock R. Stem rot and other diseases caused by S. rolfsii. Tech. Bull. 174. Agric. Expt. Station, North Carolina State University, Raleigh. 1966, 202.
16. Fery RL, Dukes PD. Southern blight (Sclerotium rolfsii Sacc.) of cowpea: Yield-loss estimates and sources of resistance. Crop Prot. 2002; 21(5): 403-408.
17. Deacon J. Fungal Biology. Blackwell Publishing. New York. 2006.
18. Raaijmakers JM, de Bruijn I, Nybroe O, Ongena M. Natural functions of lipopeptides from Bacillus and Pseudomonas: more than surfactants and antibiotics. FEMS Microbiol Rev. 2010; 34: 1037-1062.
19. Backman PA, Smith DR, Wilson JP. The impact of Sclerotium rolfsii on peanut production: Challenges and progress. Plant Dis. 2023; 109(5): 2144-2155.
20. Dufault RJ, Freeman JH, Fennimore SA. Soilborne diseases in vegetable crops: Current challenges and management strategies. Horticult Sci. 2022; 57(3): 456-469.
21. Smith TR, Johnson LP, Baker AC. Economic losses in Jerusalem artichoke production due to Sclerotium rolfsii infection. Plant Pathol. ,2023; 72(4): 567-574.
22. Singh RK, Dwivedi RS. Ecologia. 1991; 6: 161-171
23. Jones CM, Singh RK, Adams K. Integrated disease management strategies for Sclerotium rolfsii. J Plant Prot Res. 2023; 63(1): 78-90.
24. Kumar S, Patel JR, Singh VP. Biocontrol potential of endophytic fungi against Sclerotium rolfsii. Biol Control. 2022; 168: 104893.
25. Bowen KL, Hagan AK, Weeks JR. Plant disease. 2010; 10: 103-106.
26. Dufault NS. Integrated Management of Southern Blight in Vegetable Production. UF/IFAS Extension. 2021.
27. Gorbet DW, Shokes FM. Registration of 'C-99R' peanut. Crop Sci. 2002; 42: 2207.
28. Gorbet DW, Shokes FM. Registration of ‘Florida MDR 98’ Peanut. Crop Sci. 2002; 42: 2207-2208.
29. Branch WD. Registration of 'Georgia-03L' peanut. Crop Sci. 2004; 44: 1485-1486.
30. Branch WD, Brenneman TB. Stem rot disease evaluation of mass-selected peanut populations. Crop Prot. 1999; 18: 127-130.
31. Gorbet DW, Tillman BL. Registration of 'Florida-07' peanut. J Plant Regist. 2009: 3: 14-18.
32. Zhang W. Baseline Sensitivity and Control Efficacy of Strobilurin Fungicide Pyraclostrobin against Sclerotium rolfsii Isolates from Peanut in China. Plant Dis. 2021; 105: 3503-3509.
33. Cilliers AJ, Pretorius ZA, van Wyk PS. Integrated control of Sclerotium rolfsii on groundnut in South Africa. J Phytopathol. 2003; 151: 249-258.
34. Tonelli ML, Furlan A, Taurian T, Castro S, Fabra A. Peanut priming induced by biocontrol agents. Physiol Mol Plant Pathol. 2011; 75: 100-105.
35. Huang Y. Antifungal Activity and Mechanism of Physcion against Sclerotium rolfsii. J Agricult Food Chem. 2024; 72(28): 15601-15612.
36. Bidima MGS, Chtaina N, Ezzahiri B, El Guilli M, Barakat I. Effect of soil solarization and organic amendments on Sclerotium rolfsii Sacc sclerotia. Arch Phytopathol Plant Prot. 2022; 55: 1014-1030.
37. Lorito M, Woo SL, Harman GE, Monte E. Translational research on Trichoderma: From 'Omics to the field. In: Annual Review of Phytopathology, eds. VanAlfen NK, Bruening G, Leach JE. 2010: 395-417.
38. Singh HB. Recent Approaches towards Control of Fungal Diseases in Plants. Front Microbiol. 2021; 7(11): 900.
39. Prasad RD, Naik MK. Advances in plant diseases caused by Sclerotium rolfsii and their management. In: Advances in soil orne plant diseases, eds. Naik, Rani D. 2008: 89-127. New Delhi: New India Publishing Agency.
40. Pastor NA, Reynoso MM, Tonelli, ML, Masciarelli O, Rosas SB, Rovera M. Potential biological control Pseudomonas sp. PCI2 against damping-off of tomato caused by Sclerotium rolfsii. J Plant Pathol. 2010; 92: 737-745.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Authors
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
