Gray Mold Neck Rot of Onion Caused by Botrytis allii in Korea

Botrytis allii에 의한 양파 잿빛썩음병

Severe gray mold neck rot of onion occurred in most farmers' fields in the southern part of Korea, and 20∼50% of onions were infected by the disease at Goheung, Chonnam, in 1994. Symptoms of the disease appeared on the lower leaves near the soil surface in late February. The symptoms initially appeared as yellowish blotch with compact gray mold on the surface of the infected leaves and developed to blast of the aboveground parts of onions. As brown to dark brown symptoms progressed around the necks of onion later, the bulbs were rotting gradually. Botrytis sp. repeatedly isolated from the lesions produced the typical symptom on the neck of healthy onion 7 days after wound inoculation of conidial suspension of the fungus. The fungus reisolated from the bulbs was identified as Botrytis allii Munn based on the morphological and cultural characteristics and pathogenicity. This is first report of a gray mold neck rot of onion in Korea.