DOI: 10.36347/sajb.2015.v03i04.007

Pages: 361-364

During survey in the month of January, 2015 Sclerotinia sclerotiorum (Lib.) de Bary has been recorded first time in West Bengal (India), on five plants which include one vegetable (Daucus carota L.), two ornamentals (Cosmos sulpureus Cav. and pink flower producing Barleria cristata L.), one medicinal (Enhydra fluctuans Lour.) and one spice plant (Foeniculum vulgare Mill.). Aerial parts of all the plants were susceptible to the pathogen. Infected plant parts became covered with white mycelial growth of the pathogen. Sclerotia were produced on the diseased tissue except on Enhydra fluctuans. The pathogen produced white mycelium with hyaline, branched and septate hyphae. Black sclerotia near spherical to irregular in shape generally were formed towards the periphery of the medium (PDA) in petridish. The sclerotia were silvery white in the initial stages of development but turned dark with increasing age of the culture. Surface of the sclerotia was rough and pitted. The pathogen did not have host specificity.