Formation of sclerotia by Rhizoctonia solani on artificial media and potato tubers

Abstract

Independent of the nutrient medium and the size of Petri dish, sclerotium initials ofRhizoctonia solani AG-3 appeared after a fixed period of time. The same held for the completion of maturation of the sclerotia. Deprivation or extra supply of nutrients reduced or increased, respectively, final mass of sclerotia but did not affect the moment of initiation and of maturation. Transfer of a mycelial mat from water agar to a nutrient-rich medium caused the formation of black solid sclerotia within four days all over the mat and not only around the site of inoculation as usually occurs on rich medium. Final sclerotial mass was higher on liquid medium than on agar. The results indicate that formation of these sclerotia is not associated with cessation of linear hyphal growth or with starvation.