Surveillance of Rhizoctonia solani in Meerut region of Uttar Pradesh

Abstract

The potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) is widely grown in the world and contributes significantly not only to food security but to nutritional security. It is a vegetable crop characterized by a shallow and superficial root system and has been shown to be a heavier nutrient feeder taking up nutrition until maturity. The underground portion of the stem has buds which give rise to lateral slender underground stems called Stolons. It is the Stolons which enlarge to form tubers.Four hundred seventy Rhizoctonia solani isolates from different leguminous hosts originating from 16 agro-ecological regions of India covering 21 states and 72 districts were collected. The disease incidence caused by R. solani varied from 6.8 to 22.2% in the areas surveyed. Deccan plateau and central highlands, hot sub-humid eco-region followed by northern plain and central highlands and hot semi-arid eco-region showed the highest disease incidence. R. solani isolates were highly variable in growth diameter, number, size and pattern of sclerotia formation as well as hyphal width.