Rachel Yeum (she/her/hers)
Graduate Research Assistant
North Dakota State University
Fargo, North Dakota, United States
Suzette Arcibal Baldwin
Plant Diagnostician/Extension Specialist
North Dakota State University
Fargo, North Dakota, United States
Febina Mathew, PhD
Associate Professor
Department of Plant Pathology, North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND 58102
Fargo, North Dakota, United States
Richard Wade Webster, n/a
Assistant Professor and Extension Soybean Pathologist
North Dakota State University
Fargo, North Dakota, United States
Rhizoctonia solani is a major pathogen of soybean, causing wilt, root rot, and pre- and post- emergence damping off. This species consists of multiple anastomosis group (AG) types, each with distinct host specificities. AG types 2-2IIIB, 4, and 5 are the primary types infecting soybean, with AG type 4 being the most aggressive of the three. This study aims to identify the most prevalent AG types in North Dakota soybean fields and assess their virulence on soybean seedlings. R. solani will be recovered from soil samples using baiting techniques, followed by AG types determination through sequencing and comparison against tester isolates. The pathogenicity of these R. solani isolates will be evaluated on soybean seedlings, and growth rates will be measured on potato dextrose agar (PDA). AG types 2-2IIIB and AG type 4 are expected to be most prevalent due to their higher aggressiveness on soybean compared to AG type 5. Given North Dakota’s diverse crops production, understanding the distribution of R. solani AG types is critical for assessing disease risk and informing management strategies for farmers.