Abstract
In the 2016-17 growing seasons, surveys were conducted in the Isparta, Uşak, Kütahya and Denizli provinces of Turkey to identify the Rhizoctonia solani AG-4 associated with root and crown rot of chickpea. A total of 75 isolates of Rhizoctonia were obtained from surveyed areas. Visual diagnostic, isolation and microscopic observation identified the causal organism as R. solani. Sequence data of the ITS rDNA region confirmed the species identity and revealed that the anastomosis group of the 23 isolates were AG-4 HGII. The isolates were variable in their morphological characters. The sequences generated during this study were clustered in the same branch with the reference isolates of R. solani AG-4 HGII based on their ITS sequencing on chickpea and the isolate grouping was not related to their geographic origins or virulence pattern. Pathogenicity tests revealed that all AG-4 isolates were pathogenic on chickpea and the disease severity values of 23 isolates varied between 42.8% and 100%. Based on the virulence, the isolates were grouped into two categories: 5 of them exhibited moderately virulence and 18 of them exhibited highly virulence reaction on chickpea. The high virulent isolate level (>50% disease severity) was determined as 78.2% of all 23 isolates. This is the first report of R. solani AG-4 as a pathogen of chickpea in Turkey.
Highlights
Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) is one of the most extensively grown legume crops in Turkey.chickpea production and yield level are limited because of biotic and abiotic stress factors in Turkey
A total of 75 isolates of Rhizoctonia were obtained from damaged tissues and twenty-three of them were identified as R. solani anastomosis groups (AGs)-4 according to cultural morphology and anastomosis reactions with tester isolates
Based on the colony color, 23 isolates of R. solani were assigned into three categories and most of them had a light brown colony color
Summary
Chickpea production and yield level are limited because of biotic and abiotic stress factors in Turkey. Root rot pathogens are very important within biotic factors including plant diseases. More than 50 pathogens have been reported on chickpea from different parts of the world. Ciceris (Pad.), and root rot caused by a number of fungi, including Rhizoctonia bataticola (Taub.). For management of the root rot pathogens firstly it is necessary to determine the disease agents which dominate and destroy the plant. Rhizoctonia species, causal agent of root rot of chickpea are wide spread on chickpea crops in the world where it is reported to cause considerable damage (Hwang et al, 2003; Gonzalez et al, 2006). The dry root rot of chickpea caused by necrotrophic fungus
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
