First Report of Sclerotinia Stem Rot and Death of Osteospermum spp. Hybrid Cultivars Caused by Sclerotinia sclerotiorum in Louisiana

Plant Disease
G E Holcomb

Abstract

Osteospermum spp. Hybrids, belong to Asteraceae, commonly called African daisy or cape daisy with over 214 named cultivars, are popular flowering plants grown as winter landscape plants in southern Louisiana. During January of 2005, plants growing in a wholesale nursery using polyethylene-film-covered greenhouses were observed with symptoms of wilt that began with tan stem lesions and progressed to stem rot, wilt, and plant death. Plants had been purchased out-of-state as rooted cuttings and transplanted to a commercial bark potting mix in 11.4-cm (4.5-in.) plastic pots. Signs of fungal infection included the presence of white cottony mycelium and black sclerotia. Disease incidence was 50% on cv. Soprano White but less than 1% among the four other cultivars being grown (Ostica Blue Eye, Ostica Pink, Lemon Symphony, and Soprano Purple). Differences in disease incidence among cultivars may have been due to differences in susceptibility since all were grown on the same greenhouse bench. Sclerotinia sclerotiorum was consistently isolated from sections of diseased stems that had been surfaced disinfested (30 to 60 s in 70% ethyl alcohol) and placed on acidified potato dextrose agar. Inoculum for pathogenicity tests consisted of mixe...Continue Reading

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