D. Michael Benson

Ornamental Diseases Incited by Rhizoctonia Spp.

Both multinucleate, Rhizoctonia solani, and to a much lesser extent binucleate Rhizoctonia spp. fungi cause diseases in ornamental crops grown in greenhouses, nurseries, and the landscape. This chapter includes information on some of the most important ornamental diseases, crops attacked, symptoms, pathogens, epidemiology, and a discussion of control strategies somewhat unique to ornamentals. Although Rhizoctonia spp. are primarily pathogens of ornamentals, some may be useful biological control agents for ornamental diseases (see below) and others are endophytes of orchids important for plant development (Sneh et al., 1991).