Fungal diseases causing root rot in sugar beet growing areas of Çumra district in Konya province

Fungal root rot agents of sugarbeet were investigated using the samples collected from 31 fields after harvest in 2014 from Çumra district of Konya province. The causal agents were determined after surface sterilization of the samples and plating them on various agar media. Alternaria alternata, Geotrichum sp., Fusarium equiseti, F. moniliforme, F. oxysporum, Phoma betae and Pythium sp. were recovered at various ratios from the samples. Twenty two isolates obtained from the samples were first tested for pathogenicity on sugarbeet root slices. Later on pathogenicity of isolates were tested by inoculating sugarbeet seeds. The highest rate of root rot was caused by the Fusarium equiseti isolate 17 and the isolates of Pythium sp., Fusarium oxysporum 21, F. moniliforme 26/1 followed it. Pythium sp. isolate caused the highest rate of seedling damping off and it was followed by Phoma betae, Fusarium oxysporum 21 followed it. The isolates of Alternaria alternata ½, Fusarium equiseti 10, Fusarium moniliforme 26/1, F. moniliforme 26/1,1 produced very low rate of seedling death. The isolates Fusarium oxysporum 6 and Fusarium equiseti 17 caused lower rate of disease than the controls.