Evaluation of Methods for Artificial Inoculation of Sunflower with Charcoal Rot Fungus (Sclerotium bataticola Taub.)

V. ALEXANDROV

Complex Experimental Station, BG-8600 Yambol, Bulgaria

Abstract

ALEXANDROV, V., 2000. Evaluation of methods for artificial inoculation of sunflower with charcoal rot fungus (Sclerotium bataticola T.). Bulg. J. Agric. Sci., 6: 529-532

In 1995-1996 in Complex Experimental Station was made the investigation for the determination of the most effective method for artificial infecting on the sunflower with the charcoal rot’s causing (Sclerotium bataticola Taub). The following methods were investigating: puting the inoculum around the neck of the plant’s root; pouring on the suspension by the mycel and microsclerotia around the root’s neck; embeding on the inoculum in the stem’s base; pushing the inoculum in the plant’s stem with toothpick or as called "toothpick" method and growing the sunflower upon the naturally infect plot. The most favourite stage for the infecting on the sunflower was established by artificial inoculation at all testing methods in two stage – budding and beginnig of the flowering.
The method "pushing the inoculum in the plant’s stem with toothpick" is the most suitable, between fifth methods for artificial inoculation of sunflower with the causing of the charcoal rot (S. bataticola T.), for the cell of the selection.
The artificial infecting with the pathogen in a stage flowering of the plants ensure more effective, than the infecting in a stage budding.

Key words: sunflower, charcoal rot, methods for artificial inoculation