Rhizoctonia solani

Rhizoctonia solani (Anamorph)
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Fungi Phylum: Basidiomycota Class: Basidiomycetes Subclass: Agaricomycetidae Order: Polyporales Family: Corticiaceae Genus: Rhizoctonia Species: R. solani
Binomial name
Rhizoctonia solani J.G. Kühn 1858
Synonyms
Moniliopsis aderholdiiRuhland 1908 Moniliopsis solani (J.G. Kühn) R.T. Moore 1987 Rhizoctonia grisea (J.A. Stev.) Matz 1920 Rhizoctonia napaeae Westend. & Wallays 1846 Rhizoctonia solani var. solani J.G. Kühn 1858

Thanatephorus cucumeris (Telomorph)
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Fungi Phylum: Basidiomycota Class: Basidiomycetes Subclass: Agaricomycetidae Order: Ceratobasidiales Family: Ceratobasidiaceae Genus: Thanatephorus Species: T. cucumeris
Binomial name
Thanatephorus cucumeris (A.B. Frank) Donk 1956
Synonyms
Corticium sasakii (Shirai) H. Matsumoto 1934 Corticium solani (Prill. & Delacr.) Bourdot & Galzin 1911 Corticium vagum var. solaniBurt 1903 Hypochnus cucumeris A.B. Frank 1883 Hypochnus filamentosus Pat. 1926 Hypochnus sasakii Shirai 1906 Hypochnus solani Prill. & Delacr. 1891 Pellicularia filamentosa (Pat.) D.P. Rogers 1943 Pellicularia filamentosa f. sp. sasakii Exner 1953 Pellicularia sasakii (Shirai) S. Ito 1955 Thanatephorus sasakii Shirai) C.C. Tu & Kimbr. 1978

Rhizoctonia solani (teleomorph: Thanatephorus cucumeris) is a plant pathogen with a wide host range and worldwide distribution. It is one cause of the condition known as damping off, which is a cause of death of seedlings in agriculture.

Identification

Rhizoctonai solani does not produce spores hence it is identified only from mycelial characteristics. Its hyphal cells are multinucleate. Also, it produces white to deep brown mycelium when grown on artifical medium. The hypae are 4-15 μm wide and tend to branch at righat angles. A septum near each hyphal branch and a slight constriction at the branch are diagnostic.R. solani is subdivided into anastomosis groups (AG) based on hyphal fusion between compatible strains.

The teleomorph of R. solani is Thanatephorus cucumeris It forms club-shaped basidia and four apical sterigmata on which oval, hyaline sporidia are borne.