Sclerotinia Rot in Stringy Stonecrop Caused by Sclerotinia sclerotiorum

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.

Keywords

• sclerotinia rot
• sclerotinia sclerotiorum
• stringy stonecrop
• sedum sarmentosum