Characterization of Sclerotinia Sclerotiorum Causing Stem Rot of Brinjal

The morphological, cultural, and physiological characteristics of Sclerotinia sclerotiorum were studied in solid media by isolating and cultivating the pathogen on PDA (potato dextrose agar). The pathogen produced aerial mycelium that was hyaline, well-developed, branched, and cottony. The mycelium consisted of closely septate hyphae, which were both inter- and intracellular. The hyphae measured between 2.0 and 11.5 µm in width and contained dense, granular protoplasm. The sclerotia, which were round to irregular in shape, ranged from 1.5 to 7 mm in width and 2 to 15 mm in length.In physiological studies, the results indicated that the optimum conditions for growth and sclerotial formation were a temperature range of 20–25°C and a pH range of 4.5 to 5.5.