Main symptoms

Plants strongly affected by Phomopsis sclerotioides are not very growing. Withers appear quite suddenly (Figure 1). Initially, they occur at the hottest times of the day, especially on leaves low , and plants can recover during the night. Subsequently, they intensify, affect many leaves and lead to complete drying out of plants and their death (Figures 2 and 3).

After having pulled up and washed the carefully root systems of a few diseased plants , we see that they are more or less spoiled and rotten (figure 4).

Roots have disappeared and those that remain show more or less extensive reddish-brown necrotic lesions (Figures 5 and 6).

Root tissue eventually rots and decomposes; eventually, the root systems are rather small. Note that the pivot and the lower part of the rod can be more or less altered (figure 7).

On the root lesions, black lines are observed locally ( pseudo-stromas ) (figure 8), more or less thick and with irregular outlines surrounding areas of tissue.

In some portions, it is more difficult to discern numerous greyish-black to brown pits, distributed in a “mosaic” in place in the cells of the cortex. These are the pseudo-microsclerotia (figure 9) of this fungus.