White mold is killing our sunflowers:

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The Impacts of sclerotina stem rot in
sunflowuiol

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Table of Contents
Abstract.....................................................................................................................................3
History of Sunflowers:.............................................................................................................3
Sunflowers and their different diseases...................................................................................4
The sclerotina stem rot disease is killing the sunflowers........................................................4
Figure 1:...................................................................................................................................5
Symptoms of the disease:..........................................................................................................6
Figure 2:...................................................................................................................................6
Sclerotina stem rot :..................................................................................................................6
Figure 3:...................................................................................................................................7
Disease Management:..............................................................................................................7
Ways to avoid the disease:........................................................................................................7
Solution for the disease:...........................................................................................................8
Figure 4 :..................................................................................................................................8
Seeds treatment an easy option :..............................................................................................8
Ways to keep a sunflower alive:...............................................................................................9
Conclusion :..............................................................................................................................9
References:.............................................................................................................................10

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Abstract

Sunflowers are a delicate flowers that are exposed to a different types of

diseases. .Sunflowers are a beautiful yellow flower. Sunflowers require a lot of
care. If sunflowers are exposed to higher cold temperatures, they will get a disease
called sclerotina stem rot. This disease is a Wwhite mold that develops in the stern
of the sunflower. This disease starts in the soil until it gets to the stem. The best
option to eliminate the condition is to use a fungicide. You would put the pesticide
in the ground as well. Sunflowers bring you the energy that’s why you need to
keep them healthy. They have different emails. It depends on the interpretation of
yourself.

The best option to eliminate the white mold is to use a fungicide called
Contants WG. The chemicals of this fungicide would kill the fungus quickly. If
you use the fungicide, you have tomust be looking at the flower each day for new
symptoms.

History of Sunflowers:

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 Sunflowers or Helianthus Annuus, native to North America, have been used for
different things, such as ornamental plants, and harvested for seeds, oil, and dyes.
Sunflowers were a significant source of food. You can do many things like cakes,
flours and cakes. The people who first cultivated the sunflower were indigenous
over 4,500 years ago. When the Europeans first got to North America in 1510, they
started shipping sunflowers to Europe. The flower became a significant source of
anti-inflammatory medicine across Europe. Sunflowers spread quickly into
Russiainto Russia and Ukraine.

The demand for sunflower oil expanded to more than 800,000 hectares across
Russia and Ukraine in the early 1800s. Sunflowers became popular across the
United States in 1930. There are more than ten different types of flowers. Some are
Russian Mammoth, Giant Sunflowers, Lemon Queen, Soraya Sunflower, Suntastic
Yellow, Sunforest mix, etc. The Dwarf sunflowers are one of the biggest ones.
They grow to three feet. A flower like that is significant.

The sunflowers became a symbol of spiritual faith and worship. The botanical
name helianthus and the original name have the same meaning: helios is for sun,
and Anthos is for flower. The Spanish people called sunflowers “girasol ’’.They
symbolize unwavering faith and constant orientation toward the light. The vibrant
yellow colors of the sunflowers. They symbolize happiness, optimism, love, and
confidence. The sunflowers were used in a war to collect the toxin gases and
represent peace.

You can find at leat 30 differents types of disease.Basal stalk rot , sclerotina
head rot and sclerotina stem rot are often treated as a three different types disease
.Sclerotina is the disease that can cause dangerous damage. The disease can
devaste a crop depending to the weather conditions.This disease can affect the plan
in three different ways. Root infection ascospore-initiated mid-stalk infection and
airbone ascospore-initiated infection. Sclerotina wilt and Sclerotina mid-sterm
frequently cause yield loss .The fungus survives due to the consistency.Basal stalk
rot develops when the soil-borne germinate you can see the syptons weeks
later.Sclerotina stem rot develops when the sclerotia germinate to form a small
mushroom called an apothecium.You can see symptons when they are exposed to
cold temperatures .Sclerotina head rot develops when ascospores land on flower
peatals still attached to the sunflower head.

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Figure 1 :

Sunflowers and their different diseases

Sunflowers are hosts of many diseases. The most common disease that you
would find is the sclerotina stem rot which is a white mold that cover the stem of
the sunflower.Sclerotina stem rot is acausing damages to the crops .The disease
appears at mid to late growing season. Sclerotina head rot symptoms are dark-
colored, water -soaked lesions and white mycelial growth. If the disease progress
the sunflowers head disintegrates.Basal stalk rot is a fungus that invades trough
the roots of the plant.This disease can infect other plants trough the soil.One
disease is called seedling disease, which can appear as seed decays. Most of the
seed tissue can be infected. The foliar disease impacts the leaves of the sunflower,
and this develops a fungal.

The sclerotina stem rot disease is killing the sunflowers;sunflowers.

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 The sclerotinia stem rot is caused by a fungus known as Sclerotinia
sclerotiorum.
This fungus can infect many plants, such as soybeans, legumes, lupines, and
vegetable crops. You can identify the disease by white, cottony, mycelial growth
on crowns or stems. The first symptom of the illness is wilting stems. The
sclerotina stem rot disease likes cold climates, which means the disease attacks in
the winter season. September and October are humidity months; the condition can
also attack those months. You can find white growing on the stems and sometimes
on the soil adjacent to infected plants. If you want to know how to confirm the
disease, you should look for the presence of black, hard-resistant structures called
sclerotia.The sclerotinia stem rot is caused by a fungus known as Sclerotinia
sclerotiorum.

White mold is probably the most significant concern in the production of the
plants. The fungus can survive many years in the soil. In commercial agriculture
and horticulture, sclerotium is a considerable problem.

Figure 2:

Figure 13:

A picture of the sclerotina disease stem rot in a microscope .

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 This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY

Symptoms of the disease:

 The fungus invade trough the roots of the sunflower infecting the adjacent
plants.
 Tan-colored, water-soaked lesions develop at the base of the plants
 The stem appears bleached and shredded.
 You can find black sclerotia in the inside of the plant.
 The presence of the sclerotia can help you to distinguish the disease.

Figure 2:4

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Sclerotina stem rot :
The symptoms of this disease can appear at any time. The disease occurs
mainly in the mid to late-growing season of the crop. Small water lesions can
develop near the plant in the soil. In the second place, you can see wilting,
bleaching, and shredding of the stem. If the disease progresses, we can see
sclerotia on the outside of the plant. The branch of the plant can break. The
symptoms of sclerotinia stem rot can be confused with those of Phomopsis stem
canker. The difference between the two diseases is that Phomopsis stem canker
lesions are light to dark in color.

Figure 3:5

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Disease Management:

Tillage: Use a no-tillage operation can help.

Crop Rotation: Rotate the crop to three to five years with non -hosts.
Irrigation: Don’t use higher amounts of water. You need to prevent sclerotina .
Row spacing: Plant minimal amount with space in between.
Nitrogen fertilization: Avoid higher amounts of nitrogen. If you use an
excessive amount, you can promote a disease.
Weed management: Weeds can contribute to inoculum survival.
Biological control: Some microparasites can attack the crops.
Chemical control: The use of fungicides needs to be limited with sunflowers.

Ways to avoid the disease:

Avoid planting highly susceptible varieties in fields with a history of this
disease. Short planting varieties will reduce the disease potential. Row spacing has
been crucial in the condition. If you use fungicides, you can control the disease. A

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student, Ella Crawford, says the best option is Aviator bixafen + prothioconazole,
which provides the most effective control.

Solution for the disease:

The best solution for the disease is to use a fungicide they pesticide. Pesticides
are chemical compounds that kill pests, including insects, rodents, fungi, and
unwanted plants (weeds). For this type of this disease, the best solution is the
pesticidefungicide, Coniothyrum Minitans (Contant WG).You can use the
fungicide in Sclerotina wilt and head rot .The application process is not
complicated. You need to apply 1-2 lb/A to the crop of the plant directly into the
soil. You would incorporate the pesticide two inches from the top. This fungicide
attacks the source of the disease, now from the soil.Metconazole is a fungicide for
slerotina head rot .This fungicide controls the suppression of the disease .

Figure 4 6 &7:

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Seeds treatment an easy option :

There is a simple way to combat the sclerotina stem rot disease. Now, you can
use a seed treatment with gliocladium veins. Seed treatment is the application of
fungicide to disinfect. They are seed-borne. There are around eight different seed
treatments. If you use this type of treatment in the sunflowers, you can reduce the
chance of the disease from 60.0% to 15.8%. This option helps to grow a healthy
crop. Temperatures are a significant factor; if you want to control the disease, don’t
expose the sunflowers to higher temperatures.

A healthy sunflower gives you energy:

Ways to keep a sunflower alive:

The best option is the sunlight; sunflowers love to be in the light. They need
about six to eight hours daily to preserve the integrity and the beautiful yellow
color. Moisture management is a fundamental key; make sure you hydrate them.
Their temperature plays a significant role in avoiding putting the sunflowers in
cold temperatures. Regular maintenance is something that people should do in
every plant. The importance of vitamins in plants is fundamental and helps plants
grow strong.

Conclusion :

Sunflowers are a delicate plant that needs a lot of care. They are meaningful for
those who have them. The sclerotina stem rot is ending with them. This disease is a
type of white fungus that appears in the sunflower's stem. To treat the disease, it is
convenient to avoid higher cold temperatures. The best option is a fungicide called
Contans WG. This fungicide is made to kill the fungus of the sunflower.

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References :

References:

Hepworth, Burgess G. “Biocontrol of Sclerotinia Stem Rot (Sclerotinia Minor) in Sunflower

by Seed Treatment with Gliocladium Virens.” British Society for Plant Pathology, June
1996, bsppjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1046/j.1365-3059.1996.d01-
145.x.

Gulya, Thomas, et al. “Sunflower Disease .” American Society of Agronomy, 1 Jan. 1997,
acsess.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.2134/agronmonogr35.c6.

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Science@bayer4cropsuk, Bayer Crop, and AuthorBayer Crop Science. How to Control
Sclerotinia: 4 Tips for Success in 2019,
cropscience.bayer.co.uk/blog/articles/2018/03/how-to-control-sclerotinia. Accessed 29
Oct. 2023.

“Lallemand Plant Care.” Lallemand Plant Care LALSTOP Contans WG Products Base,
www.lallemandplantcare.com/en/zambia/products/product-details/lalstop-contans-wg/.
Accessed 29 Oct. 2023.

Trott, Robin. “Sunflowers.” UMN Extension, 2023, extension.umn.edu/flowers/sunflowers.

“History of the Sunflower.” Nuseed Europe, 7 Aug. 2019, nuseed.com/eu/history-of-the-

sunflower/#:~:text=The%20sunflower%20is%20native%20to,plant%20bearing%20a
%20large%20flower.

“Sclerotinia Disease / RHS Gardening.” / RHS Gardening, www.rhs.org.uk/disease/sclerotinia-

disease. Accessed 29 Oct. 2023.

Coulter, Lynn. “Tall and Tiny Sunflower Varieties.” HGTV, www.hgtv.com/outdoors/flowers-

and-plants/flowers/tall-and-tiny-sunflower-varieties-pictures#:~:text=Dwarf
%20sunflowers%20usually%20grow%20no,they%27ll%20benefit%20from%20support.
Accessed 29 Oct. 2023.

Thursd. “Discover the Sunflower’s Hidden Meanings.” Thursd, 24 May 2023,

thursd.com/articles/meaning-symbolism-sunflower#:~:text=The%20meaning%20of
%20sunflowers%20stems,goes%20beyond%20their%20symbolic%20meaning.

“Sclerotinia Stem and Crown Rot (White Mold).” Sclerotinia Stem and Crown Rot (White Mold)
/ Alfalfa / Agriculture: Pest Management Guidelines / UC Statewide IPM Program (UC
IPM), Mar. 2017, ipm.ucanr.edu/agriculture/alfalfa/sclerotinia-stem-and-crown-rot-white-
mold/#SYMPTOMS.

“White Mold.” National Sunflower Association,

www.sunflowernsa.com/growers/Diseases/White-Mold/. Accessed 5 Dec. 2023.

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“Fungicides.” National Sunflower Association, www.sunflowernsa.com/growers/Approved-
Chemicals/Fungicides/. Accessed 5 Dec. 2023.

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