Red root rot of Vicia sativa caused by Atractiella rhizophila

Abstract

The causal agent of red root rot disease of common vetch (Vicia sativa) on the far North Coast of New South Wales, Australia, has been identified as Atractiella rhizophila. This basidiomycete infected root tissues directly without specialized appressoria, and developed as a necrotroph in the cortex external to the stele. It has been recorded previously as a non-pathogenic endophyte of Populus spp. and Pinus spp. roots, and a symbiont on Quercus rubra, but this is the first report of A. rhizophila as a plant pathogen.