Stem Rot Disease of Groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.) Induced by Sclerotium rolfsii and its Management

Groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.) is an important oil seed crop. The low productivity in groundnut is attributed to many production constraints. Among these, biotic factors particularly diseases play a major role in limiting the yield of groundnut. The crop is known to be attacked by a number of fungal and bacterial diseases. Most of the soil borne diseases like stem rot, root rot, collar rot and pod rot. Among all the soil born diseases, stem rot caused by Sclerotium rolfsii Sacc is an important pathogen which is attacking different crops. This disease is wide spread and causes serious losses. So, to avoid this pathogen biological control using microbial antagonists is considered as good alternative of management of root diseases in many crops. Presently, greater emphasis has been replaced with biological control, in order to reduce the environmental hazards, to avoid the development of resistant strains and to reduce the cost of cultivation. This paper reviews the literature on Sclerotium rolfsii inducing stem rot disease and its management.