Nutritional and Epidemiological Requirements for Growth and Sclerotia Formation by Sclerotium rolfsii (Sacc.) Causing Collar Rot of Chickpea (Cicer areitinum L.)

Sclerotium rolfsii was isolated from infected chickpea plant sample collected from the chickpea’s field of Agriculture Research Station, Ummedganj, (Kota). In epidemiological studies, mycelium growth and sclerotia formation by S. rolfsii was significantly influenced with media, temperature and pH level. Maximum colony diameter (90.00 mm) and sclerotia count (691.00 per plate) were recorded on oat meal agar (Hi-media) at 96 hrs. and 20 days after inoculation respectively, followed by potato dextrose agar (natural) in radial mycelial growth 87.00 mm and potato dextrose agar (Hi-Media) in number of sclerotia count 665.00 per plate. Maximum colony diameter (90.00 mm) and sclerotia counts (538.50) of the pathogen were recorded at the 25 ºC temperature was statistically superior over rest temperature level tried. While, in context to pH maximum colony diameter 89.00 mm of pathogen and sclerotia count 570.00 sclerotia per plate were recorded at the pH level 7.0.