Unraveling the biology, effects and management methods of Sclerotium rolfsii infection in plants for sustainable agriculture

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 fl...

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Main Authors: Okon Godwin Okon, Yakubu Ismaila Uwaidem, Abdelhak Rhouma, Ukponobong Effiong Antia, Joseph Etim Okon, Bright Frank Archibong
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: TMKarpinski Publisher, Tomasz M. Karpiński 2025-04-01
Series:European Journal of Biological Research
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Online Access:https://www.journals.tmkarpinski.com/index.php/ejbr/article/view/759
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author Okon Godwin Okon
Yakubu Ismaila Uwaidem
Abdelhak Rhouma
Ukponobong Effiong Antia
Joseph Etim Okon
Bright Frank Archibong
author_facet Okon Godwin Okon
Yakubu Ismaila Uwaidem
Abdelhak Rhouma
Ukponobong Effiong Antia
Joseph Etim Okon
Bright Frank Archibong
author_sort Okon Godwin Okon
collection DOAJ
description 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. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15288417
format Article
id doaj-art-1f0dae99e6a64dbb91441b92b9e85236
institution DOAJ
issn 2449-8955
language English
publishDate 2025-04-01
publisher TMKarpinski Publisher, Tomasz M. Karpiński
record_format Article
series European Journal of Biological Research
spelling doaj-art-1f0dae99e6a64dbb91441b92b9e852362025-08-20T03:14:02ZengTMKarpinski Publisher, Tomasz M. KarpińskiEuropean Journal of Biological Research2449-89552025-04-01151Unraveling the biology, effects and management methods of Sclerotium rolfsii infection in plants for sustainable agricultureOkon Godwin Okon0Yakubu Ismaila Uwaidem1Abdelhak Rhouma2Ukponobong Effiong Antia3Joseph Etim Okon4Bright Frank Archibong5Department of Botany, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Akwa Ibom State University, NigeriaDepartment of Botany, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Akwa Ibom State University, NigeriaRegional Centre of Agricultural Research of Sidi Bouzid, CRRA, Gafsa Road Km 6, B.P. 357, 9100, Sidi Bouzid, TunisiaDepartment of Microbiology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Akwa Ibom State University, NigeriaDepartment of Botany, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Akwa Ibom State University, NigeriaDepartment of Botany, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Akwa Ibom State University, Nigeria 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. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15288417 https://www.journals.tmkarpinski.com/index.php/ejbr/article/view/759Athelia rolfsiiBlightMyceliumGrey rot fungusSclerotiaSclerotium rolfsii
spellingShingle Okon Godwin Okon
Yakubu Ismaila Uwaidem
Abdelhak Rhouma
Ukponobong Effiong Antia
Joseph Etim Okon
Bright Frank Archibong
Unraveling the biology, effects and management methods of Sclerotium rolfsii infection in plants for sustainable agriculture
European Journal of Biological Research
Athelia rolfsii
Blight
Mycelium
Grey rot fungus
Sclerotia
Sclerotium rolfsii
title Unraveling the biology, effects and management methods of Sclerotium rolfsii infection in plants for sustainable agriculture
title_full Unraveling the biology, effects and management methods of Sclerotium rolfsii infection in plants for sustainable agriculture
title_fullStr Unraveling the biology, effects and management methods of Sclerotium rolfsii infection in plants for sustainable agriculture
title_full_unstemmed Unraveling the biology, effects and management methods of Sclerotium rolfsii infection in plants for sustainable agriculture
title_short Unraveling the biology, effects and management methods of Sclerotium rolfsii infection in plants for sustainable agriculture
title_sort unraveling the biology effects and management methods of sclerotium rolfsii infection in plants for sustainable agriculture
topic Athelia rolfsii
Blight
Mycelium
Grey rot fungus
Sclerotia
Sclerotium rolfsii
url https://www.journals.tmkarpinski.com/index.php/ejbr/article/view/759
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