Disease & Defence b.stev Rhizoctonia solani

Rhizoctonia solani is a FUNGUS FUNGUS grows on BOTH living & dead PLANTS forms : small irregular structures called: sclerotia - these develop a brown/black colour in maturity Sclerotia makes the fungus a competitive inhabitant in soil – can survive for YEARS Widely distributed throughout the WORLD the disease is FAVOURED to MANY plants (Wikipedia, 2008)

Widely distributed throughout the WORLD

the disease is FAVOURED to MANY plants

HOW the disease attacks the PLANT (Wikipedia, 2008)

attacks in the soil : unless the, UPPER plant / fruit is SPRAYED with infected H 2 O OR PLANT tissue Rhizoctonia solani is a condition in agriculture called: ” damping off ,”. - as it causes DEATH to seedlings

ALSO : “ wire stem disease ,”:in cabbage/cauliflower & similar plants - results in constricted wiry stems in growth of the older seedlings (North Carolina State University, 1999)

WHAT can be done : rotate crops every: 3 – 4 years avoid quick release nitrogen mix in compost/ manure - less infection to living plants as the FUNGUS ALSO feeds on it drainage is useful DON’T over water plant resistant varieties USE a specific fungicide (North Carolina State University, 1999)

rotate crops every: 3 – 4 years

avoid quick release nitrogen

mix in compost/ manure

- less infection to living plants as

the FUNGUS ALSO feeds on it

drainage is useful

DON’T over water

plant resistant varieties

USE a specific fungicide

Bibliography North Carolina State University. (1999). Rhizoctonia solani . Retrieved September 3, 2008, from www.cals.ncsu.edu/course/pp728/ Rhizo ctonia / Rhizoctonia .html Wikipedia. (2008). Rhizoctonia solani . Retrieved September 3, 2008, from http//:www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ Rhizoctonia _ solani - 27k -