Damping-off caused by Pythium aphanidermatum on sugar beet in Egypt

Abstract

Damping-off, root rot and necrotic lesions were observed on sugar beet (Beta vulgaris) seedlings in the Kafrelsheikh Governorate, in the northern part of the Nile River delta, Egypt. Pythium aphanidermatum was identified as the causal agent using the morphology of the asexual and sexual morphs and molecular studies. This is the first record of P. aphanidermatum on sugar beet in Egypt.