Damping-off of Edible Amaranth Caused by Rhizoctonia solani AG-4

Damping-off symptoms were frequently observed on young plants of edible amaranth (Amaranthus mangostanus) grown in vinyl greenhouses by farmers located in Goyang and Yangpyeong in Korea during disease surveys carried out in 2019 and 2020. The incidence of the disease was 1−20%. A total of eight isolates of Rhizoctonia sp. were obtained from the stems of the diseased plants. All the isolates were identified as Rhizoctonia solani AG-4, based on the morphological characteristics and anastomosis test. Three isolates of R. solani AG-4 were tested for pathogenicity on edible amaranth by artificial inoculation. All the tested isolates of R. solani AG-4 induced damping-off symptoms on the inoculated plants; these symptoms were similar to those observed on the vinyl greenhouse plants surveyed. This is the first report of R. solani AG-4 causing damping-off in edible amaranth.