Assessment of Root Rot Disease in Green Gram (Vigna radiata L.) Caused by Rhizoctonia bataticola Under Controlled Pot Culture Conditions
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Root rot caused by Rhizoctonia bataticola is a major constraint in green gram (Vigna radiata L.) cultivation, especially under high temperature and low soil moisture. This study assessed the severity of root rot and the associated impact on plant growth under pot culture. Green gram plants (variety CO 8) were grown in nine pots under three treatments: uninoculated control, low, and high inoculum doses of R. bataticola. Disease incidence, severity, plant height, biomass, and yield were measured. Results showed that higher inoculum loads significantly increased disease severity and reduced growth and yield parameters. This study reinforces the destructive potential of R. bataticola in mungbean and highlights the need for integrated disease management strategies, including host resistance and soil health maintenance.
![International Journal of Horticulture, Agriculture and Food Science (IJHAF)
ISSN: 2456-8635
[Vol-9, Issue-3, Jul-Sep, 2025]
Issue DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.22161/ijhaf.9.3
Peer-Reviewed Journal
Article DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.22161/ijhaf.9.3.1 (Int. j. hortic. agric. food sci.)
https://aipublications.com/ijhaf/ Page | 1
Assessment of Root Rot Disease in Green Gram (Vigna
radiata L.) Caused by Rhizoctonia bataticola Under
Controlled Pot Culture Conditions
Udhayakumar M*¹, Satheeshkumar E¹, Akshayavani M¹, Sowmith S M¹, Ranjitha M²
¹Department of Plant Pathology, Jaya Agricultural College, Vyasapuram, affiliated to Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU),
Thiruvallur District, Tamil Nadu, India
²Department of Agricultural Microbiology, Jaya Agricultural College, Vyasapuram, affiliated to Tamil Nadu Agricultural University
(TNAU), Thiruvallur District, Tamil Nadu, India
*Corresponding author
Received: 11 Jun 2025; Received in revised form: 05 Jul 2025; Accepted: 10 Jul 2025; Available online: 14 Jul 2025
©2025 The Author(s). Published by AI Publications. This is an open-access article under the CC BY license
(https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
Abstract— Root rot caused by Rhizoctonia bataticola is a major constraint in green gram (Vigna radiata L.)
cultivation, especially under high temperature and low soil moisture. This study assessed the severity of root rot and
the associated impact on plant growth under pot culture. Green gram plants (variety CO 8) were grown in nine pots
under three treatments: uninoculated control, low, and high inoculum doses of R. bataticola. Disease incidence,
severity, plant height, biomass, and yield were measured. Results showed that higher inoculum loads significantly
increased disease severity and reduced growth and yield parameters. This study reinforces the destructive potential
of R. bataticola in mungbean and highlights the need for integrated disease management strategies, including host
resistance and soil health maintenance.
Keywords— Disease severity, Green gram, Mungbean pathology, Pot culture, Rhizoctonia bataticola
I. INTRODUCTION
Green gram (Vigna radiata L.), also known as mungbean,
is a short-duration pulse crop valued for its protein content
and soil-enriching nitrogen-fixation ability. However,
diseases like root rot significantly affect its productivity.
Among these, dry root rot caused by Rhizoctonia
bataticola (syn. Macrophomina phaseolina) is one of the
most destructive, especially in regions with high
temperatures and low soil moisture (Ghosh et al., 2013;
Sharma et al., 2012).
R. bataticola is a necrotrophic soil-borne fungus that
survives in the form of microsclerotia and infects host
plants through roots. It causes browning of root tissues,
leading to collapse of vascular bundles and wilting (Lal et
al., 2017). Although many field reports exist, controlled
studies under pot culture to quantify disease effects are
limited. This study aims to evaluate the effect of varying
inoculum levels of R. bataticola on green gram root rot
incidence and plant performance under pot conditions.
II. MATERIALS AND METHODS
2.1 Experimental Setup
Design: Completely Randomized Design (CRD)
Location: Plant Pathology Lab, Jaya Agricultural College,
Vyasapuram
Number of Pots: 9 (3 treatments × 3 replicates)
Pot Size: 30 cm diameter
Soil: Sterile loamy soil mixed with compost (3:1)
2.2 Pathogen Inoculation
R. bataticola was isolated from diseased roots (Sinha &
Singh, 2015) and cultured on Potato Dextrose Agar
(PDA). The pathogen was mass-multiplied on sorghum
grains for 15 days (Prasad et al., 2002). Pots were
inoculated by mixing:
T2: 5 g inoculum/pot (low dose)
T3: 10 g inoculum/pot (high dose)
Control pots received sterile grain (see Table 1).](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/1ijhaf-jul20254-assessment-250715072048-fd349bd4/85/Assessment-of-Root-Rot-Disease-in-Green-Gram-Vigna-radiata-L-Caused-by-Rhizoctonia-bataticola-Under-Controlled-Pot-Culture-Conditions-1-320.jpg)
![Udhayakumar et al. International Journal of Horticulture, Agriculture and Food Science (IJHAF)
9(3)-2025
Article DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.22161/ijhaf.9.3.1 (Int. j. hortic. agric. food sci.)
https://aipublications.com/ijhaf/ Page | 3
IV. DISCUSSION
The results confirm that increasing inoculum levels of
Rhizoctonia bataticola correspond to higher disease
incidence and plant damage in green gram, consistent with
findings by Ghosh et al. (2013) and Sharma et al. (2012).
The pathogen’s ability to survive in soil and rapidly
colonize host roots makes it particularly dangerous during
drought or heat stress conditions, as highlighted by
Upadhyay & Dwivedi (1987).
Under high inoculum, severe root decay limited water
uptake, leading to early senescence – a trend also noted in
Prasad et al. (2010). The pot culture system provided clear,
quantifiable observations of symptom development and
yield loss, mirroring conclusions drawn by Pande et al.
(2010). Finally, screening for resistance in mungbean
genotypes under such controlled conditions is effective in
earlier studies by Prasad et al. (2018).
V. CONCLUSION
This study demonstrates the pathogenic impact of
Rhizoctonia bataticola on green gram under pot culture.
Root rot severity and yield losses increased significantly
with inoculum concentration. Controlled pot experiments
such as this provide valuable insights for evaluating
disease management strategies and resistant cultivars.
Integrated approaches involving resistant genotypes,
organic amendments, and biocontrol agents are necessary
to curb this pathogen in the field.
REFERENCES
[1] R. Ghosh, M. Sharma, R. Telangre, and S. Pande, “Dry root
rot of chickpea: Current status and future perspectives,”
Australas. Plant Pathol., vol. 42, pp. 363–371, 2013. doi:
10.1007/s13313-013-0204-9.
[2] M. Lal, S. R. Meena, and M. Sharma, “Identification and
characterization of Rhizoctonia bataticola causing dry root
rot in pulse crops,” Indian J. Agric. Sci., vol. 87, no. 2, pp.
182–186, 2017.
[3] R. Meena and S. Gangopadhyay, “Epidemiological studies
of dry root rot of mungbean incited by Rhizoctonia
bataticola,” Legume Res., vol. 39, no. 4, pp. 561–565, 2016.
doi: 10.18805/lr.v0iOF.7951.
[4] S. Pande, M. Sharma, and R. Ghosh, “Impact of climate
change on soil-borne diseases of chickpea,” Plant Pathol. J.,
vol. 9, no. 2, pp. 83–89, 2010.
[5] R. D. Prasad, R. Rangeshwaran, C. P. Anuroop, and B.
Ramachandra, “Biological control of dry root rot of
chickpea with antagonistic microorganisms,” Indian
Phytopathol., vol. 55, no. 2, pp. 235–238, 2002.
[6] Y. Prasad, D. Kumar, and S. Kumar, “Screening of
mungbean genotypes for resistance against root rot disease
caused by Rhizoctonia bataticola,” Legume Res., vol. 41,
no. 5, pp. 694–698, 2018. doi: 10.18805/LR-3893.
[7] A. S. Rathi, J. S. Chauhan, and S. K. Sharma, “Dry root rot:
An emerging disease of pulses in India,” Indian
Phytopathol., vol. 73, no. 3, pp. 459–466, 2020. doi:
10.1007/s42360-020-00234-2.
[8] M. Sharma, R. Ghosh, and S. Pande, “Occurrence and
impact of dry root rot of chickpea in India,” Arch.
Phytopathol. Plant Prot., vol. 45, no. 10, pp. 1135–1143,
2012. doi: 10.1080/03235408.2011.589817.
[9] P. Sinha and S. K. Singh, “Pathogenic behavior and cultural
variability of Rhizoctonia bataticola isolates causing root rot
in pulses,” Int. J. Agric. Sci., vol. 7, no. 3, pp. 664–667,
2015.
[10] J. P. Upadhyay and R. S. Dwivedi, “Root exudates of some
pulse crops in relation to the growth of Rhizoctonia
bataticola,” Plant Soil, vol. 104, no. 1, pp. 79–84, 1987. doi:
10.1007/BF02370637.](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/1ijhaf-jul20254-assessment-250715072048-fd349bd4/85/Assessment-of-Root-Rot-Disease-in-Green-Gram-Vigna-radiata-L-Caused-by-Rhizoctonia-bataticola-Under-Controlled-Pot-Culture-Conditions-3-320.jpg)
Assessment of Root Rot Disease in Green Gram (Vigna radiata L.) Caused by Rhizoctonia bataticola Under Controlled Pot Culture Conditions
- 1. International Journal of Horticulture, Agriculture and Food Science (IJHAF) ISSN: 2456-8635 [Vol-9, Issue-3, Jul-Sep, 2025] Issue DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.22161/ijhaf.9.3 Peer-Reviewed Journal Article DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.22161/ijhaf.9.3.1 (Int. j. hortic. agric. food sci.) https://aipublications.com/ijhaf/ Page | 1 Assessment of Root Rot Disease in Green Gram (Vigna radiata L.) Caused by Rhizoctonia bataticola Under Controlled Pot Culture Conditions Udhayakumar M*¹, Satheeshkumar E¹, Akshayavani M¹, Sowmith S M¹, Ranjitha M² ¹Department of Plant Pathology, Jaya Agricultural College, Vyasapuram, affiliated to Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU), Thiruvallur District, Tamil Nadu, India ²Department of Agricultural Microbiology, Jaya Agricultural College, Vyasapuram, affiliated to Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU), Thiruvallur District, Tamil Nadu, India *Corresponding author Received: 11 Jun 2025; Received in revised form: 05 Jul 2025; Accepted: 10 Jul 2025; Available online: 14 Jul 2025 ©2025 The Author(s). Published by AI Publications. This is an open-access article under the CC BY license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) Abstract— Root rot caused by Rhizoctonia bataticola is a major constraint in green gram (Vigna radiata L.) cultivation, especially under high temperature and low soil moisture. This study assessed the severity of root rot and the associated impact on plant growth under pot culture. Green gram plants (variety CO 8) were grown in nine pots under three treatments: uninoculated control, low, and high inoculum doses of R. bataticola. Disease incidence, severity, plant height, biomass, and yield were measured. Results showed that higher inoculum loads significantly increased disease severity and reduced growth and yield parameters. This study reinforces the destructive potential of R. bataticola in mungbean and highlights the need for integrated disease management strategies, including host resistance and soil health maintenance. Keywords— Disease severity, Green gram, Mungbean pathology, Pot culture, Rhizoctonia bataticola I. INTRODUCTION Green gram (Vigna radiata L.), also known as mungbean, is a short-duration pulse crop valued for its protein content and soil-enriching nitrogen-fixation ability. However, diseases like root rot significantly affect its productivity. Among these, dry root rot caused by Rhizoctonia bataticola (syn. Macrophomina phaseolina) is one of the most destructive, especially in regions with high temperatures and low soil moisture (Ghosh et al., 2013; Sharma et al., 2012). R. bataticola is a necrotrophic soil-borne fungus that survives in the form of microsclerotia and infects host plants through roots. It causes browning of root tissues, leading to collapse of vascular bundles and wilting (Lal et al., 2017). Although many field reports exist, controlled studies under pot culture to quantify disease effects are limited. This study aims to evaluate the effect of varying inoculum levels of R. bataticola on green gram root rot incidence and plant performance under pot conditions. II. MATERIALS AND METHODS 2.1 Experimental Setup Design: Completely Randomized Design (CRD) Location: Plant Pathology Lab, Jaya Agricultural College, Vyasapuram Number of Pots: 9 (3 treatments × 3 replicates) Pot Size: 30 cm diameter Soil: Sterile loamy soil mixed with compost (3:1) 2.2 Pathogen Inoculation R. bataticola was isolated from diseased roots (Sinha & Singh, 2015) and cultured on Potato Dextrose Agar (PDA). The pathogen was mass-multiplied on sorghum grains for 15 days (Prasad et al., 2002). Pots were inoculated by mixing: T2: 5 g inoculum/pot (low dose) T3: 10 g inoculum/pot (high dose) Control pots received sterile grain (see Table 1).
- 2. Udhayakumar et al. International Journal of Horticulture, Agriculture and Food Science (IJHAF) 9(3)-2025 Article DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.22161/ijhaf.9.3.1 (Int. j. hortic. agric. food sci.) https://aipublications.com/ijhaf/ Page | 2 Table 1: Treatment Codes and Descriptions for Rhizoctonia bataticola Inoculation in CO 8 Green Gram under Pot Culture Conditions Treatment Code Description T1 Control (no inoculation) T2 Inoculated with low dose of R. bataticola (5 g/pot) T3 Inoculated with high dose of R. bataticola (10 g/pot) 2.3 Crop Management Seed Variety: CO 8 Seed Rate: 5 seeds per pot, thinned to 3 plants Irrigation: Uniform, minimal to simulate field stress Fertilization: Uniform application of NPK 2.4 Data Collection At 30 and 45 days after sowing: • Disease Incidence (%): Infected plants / Total plants × 100 • Disease Severity Index (DSI): Rated on 0–5 scale (Meena & Gangopadhyay, 2016) • Plant Parameters: Height, root length, fresh and dry weight • Yield Parameters: Pods/plant, 100-seed weight 2.5 Statistical Analysis Data were analyzed using ANOVA, and treatment means were compared using LSD at p ≤ 0.05 (Sharma et al., 2012). III. RESULTS 3.1 Symptomatology Inoculated plants showed chlorosis, wilting, and brown necrotic lesions at the root-shoot junction. T3 (high inoculum) resulted in early senescence and some plant death, consistent with previous reports (Rathi et al., 2020). 3.2 Disease Incidence and Severity Significant differences were observed (p < 0.05). Control showed zero incidence and severity, while the low dose treatment recorded moderate disease. High-dose (T3) resulted in 88.9 % incidence and a DSI of 4.3 (see Table 2). 3.3 Growth and Yield Impacts Increased inoculum led to progressive declines in plant height, root length, biomass, pods per plant, and seed yield. The high-dose treatment drastically suppressed growth and productivity compared to control (see Table 3). Table 2: Disease Incidence and Severity (Mean DSI) of CO 8 Green Gram Inoculated with Rhizoctonia bataticola Treatment Disease Incidence (%) Mean DSI T1 (Control) 0.0 0.0 T2 (Low dose) 55.6 2.1 T3 (High dose) 88.9 4.3 Significant differences were observed between T3 and the other treatments (p < 0.05). Table 3: Effect of Rhizoctonia bataticola Inoculum Levels on Disease Incidence, Severity, Growth, and Yield Parameters in CO 8 Green Gram (Vigna radiata L.) under Controlled Pot Culture at Jaya Agricultural College, Vyasapuram Treatment Inoculum Dose (g/pot) Disease Incidence (%) Mean DSI Plant Height (cm) Root Length (cm) Fresh Biomass (g) Dry Biomass (g) Pods/Plant Seed Yield/Plant (g) T1 Control 0 g 0.0 0.0 38.3 14.5 6.7 2.9 11.6 5.3 T2 Low Dose 5 g 55.6 2.1 32.1 11.2 4.3 1.7 8.2 3.4 T3 High Dose 10 g 88.9 4.3 24.7 8.3 2.1 0.8 4.7 1.6 T3 showed significant suppression of growth and yield, confirming high virulence of the pathogen (Prasad et al., 2018).
- 3. Udhayakumar et al. International Journal of Horticulture, Agriculture and Food Science (IJHAF) 9(3)-2025 Article DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.22161/ijhaf.9.3.1 (Int. j. hortic. agric. food sci.) https://aipublications.com/ijhaf/ Page | 3 IV. DISCUSSION The results confirm that increasing inoculum levels of Rhizoctonia bataticola correspond to higher disease incidence and plant damage in green gram, consistent with findings by Ghosh et al. (2013) and Sharma et al. (2012). The pathogen’s ability to survive in soil and rapidly colonize host roots makes it particularly dangerous during drought or heat stress conditions, as highlighted by Upadhyay & Dwivedi (1987). Under high inoculum, severe root decay limited water uptake, leading to early senescence – a trend also noted in Prasad et al. (2010). The pot culture system provided clear, quantifiable observations of symptom development and yield loss, mirroring conclusions drawn by Pande et al. (2010). Finally, screening for resistance in mungbean genotypes under such controlled conditions is effective in earlier studies by Prasad et al. (2018). V. CONCLUSION This study demonstrates the pathogenic impact of Rhizoctonia bataticola on green gram under pot culture. Root rot severity and yield losses increased significantly with inoculum concentration. Controlled pot experiments such as this provide valuable insights for evaluating disease management strategies and resistant cultivars. Integrated approaches involving resistant genotypes, organic amendments, and biocontrol agents are necessary to curb this pathogen in the field. REFERENCES [1] R. Ghosh, M. Sharma, R. Telangre, and S. Pande, “Dry root rot of chickpea: Current status and future perspectives,” Australas. Plant Pathol., vol. 42, pp. 363–371, 2013. doi: 10.1007/s13313-013-0204-9. [2] M. Lal, S. R. Meena, and M. Sharma, “Identification and characterization of Rhizoctonia bataticola causing dry root rot in pulse crops,” Indian J. Agric. Sci., vol. 87, no. 2, pp. 182–186, 2017. [3] R. Meena and S. Gangopadhyay, “Epidemiological studies of dry root rot of mungbean incited by Rhizoctonia bataticola,” Legume Res., vol. 39, no. 4, pp. 561–565, 2016. doi: 10.18805/lr.v0iOF.7951. [4] S. Pande, M. Sharma, and R. Ghosh, “Impact of climate change on soil-borne diseases of chickpea,” Plant Pathol. J., vol. 9, no. 2, pp. 83–89, 2010. [5] R. D. Prasad, R. Rangeshwaran, C. P. Anuroop, and B. Ramachandra, “Biological control of dry root rot of chickpea with antagonistic microorganisms,” Indian Phytopathol., vol. 55, no. 2, pp. 235–238, 2002. [6] Y. Prasad, D. Kumar, and S. Kumar, “Screening of mungbean genotypes for resistance against root rot disease caused by Rhizoctonia bataticola,” Legume Res., vol. 41, no. 5, pp. 694–698, 2018. doi: 10.18805/LR-3893. [7] A. S. Rathi, J. S. Chauhan, and S. K. Sharma, “Dry root rot: An emerging disease of pulses in India,” Indian Phytopathol., vol. 73, no. 3, pp. 459–466, 2020. doi: 10.1007/s42360-020-00234-2. [8] M. Sharma, R. Ghosh, and S. Pande, “Occurrence and impact of dry root rot of chickpea in India,” Arch. Phytopathol. Plant Prot., vol. 45, no. 10, pp. 1135–1143, 2012. doi: 10.1080/03235408.2011.589817. [9] P. Sinha and S. K. Singh, “Pathogenic behavior and cultural variability of Rhizoctonia bataticola isolates causing root rot in pulses,” Int. J. Agric. Sci., vol. 7, no. 3, pp. 664–667, 2015. [10] J. P. Upadhyay and R. S. Dwivedi, “Root exudates of some pulse crops in relation to the growth of Rhizoctonia bataticola,” Plant Soil, vol. 104, no. 1, pp. 79–84, 1987. doi: 10.1007/BF02370637.