First Report of Charcoal Rot of Sunflower in Minnesota, USA
Keyword(s):
Charcoal rot was first observed on sunflower in North and South Dakota in 1998, and was widespread on soybeans recently in Iowa, suggesting that Macrophomina may becoming more common in cooler growing areas of Midwestern United States. With the multitude of Macrophomina hosts in the northern Great Plains and the high incidence of microsclerotia we detected in soil, high disease potential may exist, suggesting that in drier, hotter years the sunflower crop may be affected by this disease. Accepted for publication 17 May 2010. Published 7 July 2010.