Variability in Cultural, Morphological and Molecular Characteristics of Sclerotium rolfsii Associated with Stem and Pod Rot of Groundnut in Gujarat

Abstract

Groundnut is an important oilseed crop in India, ranking first in area and second in production, with Gujarat leading in area, production and productivity. The crop is severely affected by several soil-borne diseases, among which stem and pod rot caused by Sclerotium rolfsii results in significant yield losses. The present study aimed to characterize the cultural, morphological and molecular variability of fifteen S. rolfsii isolates collected from major groundnut-growing regions of Gujarat. Considerable variation was observed among isolates in colony morphology, growth rate, sclerotial initiation, size, shape, colour, arrangement and number on PDA and CzDA media. Molecular analysis revealed high genetic diversity, with 100 per cent polymorphism detected by primers OPA-3 and OPE-1, while primers OPA-20, OPA-18 and OPA-2 showed the lowest polymorphism among the 40 primers tested.