First Report of Rhizoctonia solani AG-7 in Georgia

During a study to determine the pathogenic fungi overwintering on dead cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) roots, two isolates of Rhizoctonia solani Kühn anastomosis group 7 (AG-7) were identified. Isolate #213 was obtained from dead roots near Tifton, GA, and isolate #219 was cultured from cotton roots near Midville, GA. Rhizoctonia solani AG-7 was previously reported in Arkansas, Indiana, and Asia (1). Isolates #213 and #219 were tested in the greenhouse for pathogenicity by mixing 25 ml of 2-week-old cornmeal sand inoculum (3 g of cornmeal, 100 g of sand, and 20 ml of distilled water) into 20 × 100 cm pots containing 2.25 liters of sterile soil (Tifton loamy sand, pH 6.1) per pot. Pots with noninfested soil were included as a control. Eight seeds of cotton (Delta and Pineland 90 DPL 90) were sown per pot. Each pot was a replicate and each treatment was replicated five times. At 20 days after planting, plant stands in soil infested with isolate #213 or #219 averaged 2 to 3 or 4 to 5 plants per pot, respectively, while stands in noninfested soil averaged 7 to 8 plants per pot. Brownish colored, sunken lesions were observed on roots, hypocotyles, and cotyledons of plants from pots infested with R. solani AG-7. Isolates #213 and #219 were reisolated from plants grown in their respective treatments. This is the first report of R. solani AG-7 in Georgia. Reference: (1) R. E. Baird et al. Plant Dis. 80:1421, 1996.