Characterization of Pythium spp. Associated with Corn and Soybean Seed and Seedling Disease in Ohio

Cool, moist conditions in combination with minimum tillage, earlier planting, and recent shifts in commercial fungicide seed-treatment active ingredients have led to an increase in corn (Zea mays) and soybean (Glycine max) seedling establishment problems. This situation resulted in an investigation of Pythium spp. associated with seed and seedling diseases. Samples of diseased corn and soybean seedlings were collected from 42 production fields in Ohio. All isolates of Pythium recovered were identified to species using morphological and molecular techniques and evaluated in an in vitro pathogenicity assay on both corn and soybean seed, and a subset of the isolates was tested for sensitivity to fungicides currently used as seed treatments. Eleven species and two distinct morphological groups of Pythium were identified, of which six species were moderately to highly pathogenic on corn seed and nine species were highly pathogenic on soybean seed. There was significant variation (P < 0.05) in sensitivity to mefenoxam, azoxystrobin, trifloxystrobin, and captan both across and within species. Multiple species of Pythium had the capacity to reduce germination of both corn and soybean seed. Results indicated that mefenoxam, azoxystrobin, trifloxystrobin, or captan, when used individually, may not inhibit all pathogenic species of Pythium found in Ohio soils.