Botryotinia

Botryotinia is a genus of fungi in the family Sclerotiniaceae, within the order Helotiales of the class Leotiomycetes. Species in this genus exhibit a life cycle with distinct sexual (teleomorph) and asexual (anamorph) morphs; the sexual state forms apothecia bearing asci with ascospores, while the asexual state produces conidia typical of the Botrytis/Sclerotinia group. The best known species is Botryotinia fuckeliana, the teleomorph of Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, a globally important plant pathogen responsible for white mold on a wide range of crops.

Ecology and disease: Botryotinia species are widely distributed and overwinter in soil or plant debris as sclerotia. They infect plant tissue under favorable conditions of cool to moderate temperatures and high humidity, leading to soft, water-soaked lesions that become covered with a cottony white mycelium and later necrosis.

Host range and impact: Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, the most economically significant member of this group, affects canola, sunflowers, beans, peas, soybeans, lettuce, carrots, and many vegetables and ornamentals. Economic losses arise from yield reduction, degraded product quality, and the costs of control measures.

Management: Control relies on cultural practices such as crop rotation and sanitation to remove infected debris, use of resistant cultivars where available, and fungicides effective against sclerotinia/botrytis diseases.

Taxonomy: Botryotinia is related to Botrytis; historically, sexual and asexual stages were described under separate names, but modern taxonomy links the morphs as part of the same species within Sclerotiniaceae.