Characterization of Populations of Rhizoctonia solani in Paddy Rice Fields in Côte d'Ivoire

ABSTRACT Isolates of Rhizoctonia solani were obtained from plant and soil samples that had been systematically collected in a field experiment in Côte d'Ivoire to study the diversity of the pathogen and the influence of three different rice rotations on the pathogen population. Characterization by morphology, anastomosis testing, pathogenicity testing, and restriction fragment length polymorphisms (RFLPs) of AT-rich DNA (AT-DNA) showed that there were no differences in isolates from different experimental plots, suggesting that the soil as well as the plant population of the fungus was indistinguishable throughout the experiment and was not influenced by crop rotation. Analysis of AT-DNA showed that the isolates obtained from plant material and one from soil shared a distinct banding pattern, identical with the AT-DNA RFLP obtained for the reference strain of anastomosis group 1 (AG-1). The remaining soil isolates produced a consistent RFLP pattern that was distinct from that of the plant isolates. Morphological characterization of isolates produced two major clusters consisting of the same groups of isolates as found by AT-DNA RFLP. Diversity in morphological characters was much higher in plant than in soil isolates and indicated that the population might consist of several clones. Anastomosis testing revealed that soil as well as plant isolates were able to fuse with the tester strain of AG-1. Significant differences in disease severity were observed between the two groups of isolates in pathogenicity tests on rice plants, with plant isolates being distinctively more virulent.