Occurrence of Stem Rot of Basil, Caused by Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, in Coastal California

Abstract

In January and February 1999, extensive dieback was observed on commercial basil (Ocimum basilicum) being grown in shadecloth greenhouses in coastal California's Salinas Valley. Symptoms were associated with stems that were high in the plant canopy and had cut ends resulting from multiple harvests of the foliage. Stems had brown discoloration extending from the cut ends toward the crown of the plant. Attached petioles and leaves turned brown and wilted. Profuse white mycelia were generally present externally on symptomatic stems, and occasionally large (>5 mm long) black sclerotia were found inside affected stems. In some shade houses approximately 20 to 25% of the plants were diseased. Isolations from mycelia, sclerotia, and symptomatic stems produced colonies of Sclerotinia sclerotiorum. Inocula for pathogenicity tests were produced by growing isolates on potato-dextrose agar, removing the resulting sclerotia, air drying them for 12 h, and placing them onto sterilized sand saturated with sterile distilled water. Sand cultures were incubated at 24 to 26°C in the light. After 4 to 6 weeks, apothecia containing asci with eight uniform ascospores developed from the sclerotia. Apothecial cultures were placed at the base of potted basil plants that had been trimmed to simulate harvest and placed in a humidity chamber. After 4 weeks, stem dieback was observed on test plants and S. sclerotiorum was recovered from symptomatic tissue. This pathogenicity test was repeated and the results were similar. Though this disease has occurred in the state prior to 1999, this is the first report of S. sclerotiorum on basil in California. This disease has been reported in North America from Canada and Louisiana (2,3). In contrast with reports from Europe (1), basal infections were not observed in the California greenhouses. References: (1) A. Garibaldi et al. Plant Dis. 81:124, 1997. (2) G. E. Holcomb and M. J. Reed. Plant Dis. 78:924, 1994. (3) T. C. Paulitz. Plant Dis. 81:229, 1997.