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Rhizoctonia leguminicola (blackpatch disease )
Rhizoctonia leguminicola
blackpatch disease
Slafractonia leguminicola
Asia: China, Japan; Europe: Netherlands, UK; North America: USA; South America: Brazil.
WV, KY, WI, GA, IL, DE
2025-12-23
fungus
Korea
Primarily legumes. Alfalfa, red clover
SLAFLE
Rhizoctonia leguminicola is a fungal pathogen primarily affecting red clover, causing black patches on leaves and stems and producing toxins (slaframine, swainsonine) that can harm livestock. It can be transmitted via infected seed (Red clover) and persists in soil and plant debris.
Crops
Medicago sativa
alfalfa
No
SLAFLE-2, SLAFLE-3, ARS GRIN, SLAFLE-4, SLAFLE-5, SLAFLE-6, SLAFLE-7
Alfalfa is a host of Rhizoctonia leguminicola, but there is no evidence that it is transmitted via alfalfa seed. Some older literature inferred that seed transmission in alfalfa might be possible because the pathogen is transmitted in red clover seed, but these reports are unconfirmed. Its main pathways in alfalfa are likely soil and infected plant residues.
None found
2025-12-23 11:59:36
SLAFLE-2
Rhodes, LH and Gerkin DK. 2016. Blackpatch. In, Compendium of Alfalfa Diseases and Pests, Third Edition. Samac, DA, Rhodes, LH and Lamp, WO, eds. The APS Press, St. Paul, MN, USA
SLAFLE-3
Gough, FJ and Elliott, ES. 1956. Blackpatch of red clover and other legumes caused by Rhizoctonia leguminicola sp. nov. West Virginia Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station Bulletins. 387T. https://researchrepository.wvu.edu/wv_agricultural_and_forestry_experiment_station_bulletins/637
ARS GRIN
Farr, DF and Rossman AY 2015. Fungal Databases, Systematic Mycology and Microbiology Laboratory, ARS, USDA. http://nt.ars-grin.gov/fungaldatabases/
SLAFLE-4
Wang, T. T., Xu, X., & Li, Y. Z. (2025). First Report of Slafractonia leguminicola Causing Slafractonia Leaf Blight on Alfalfa in China. Plant Disease, PDIS-05.
SLAFLE-5
Alhawatema, M. S., Sanogo, S., Baucom, D. L., & Creamer, R. (2015). A search for the phylogenetic relationship of the ascomycete Rhizoctonia leguminicola using genetic analysis. Mycopathologia, 179(5), 381-389.
SLAFLE-6
Kagan, I. A. (2016). Blackpatch of clover, cause of slobbers syndrome: A review of the disease and the pathogen, Rhizoctonia leguminicola. Frontiers in veterinary science, 3, 3.
SLAFLE-7
Kagan, I. A. (2017). Use of the polymerase chain reaction to help determine the presence of blackpatch (Rhizoctonia leguminicola) in inoculated red clover leaves. European Journal of Plant Pathology, 147(1), 1-6.
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