Athelia rolfsii causing sprout and shoot rot of sugarcane in India

In 2019, freshly planted sugarcane setts in Vadipatti, Madurai district, a southern Indian state, exhibited sprout and shoot rot symptoms. Two fungal cultures isolated from these infected portions were identified as Athelia rolfsii based on cultural, molecular and phylogenetic analysis. The pathogenicity was confirmed both on emerging sprouts, young shoots of sugarcane, and further on tomato seedlings by the soil-inoculation method. This is the first report confirming the presence of sprout and shoot rot of sugarcane caused by Athelia rolfsii in India.

Automated summary

In this study, the presence of sprout and shoot rot of sugarcane caused by Athelia rolfsii in India was confirmed. The pathogenicity was demonstrated through soil-inoculation experiments on emerging sprouts, young shoots of sugarcane, and tomato seedlings.