Sclerotium rolfsii is a soil borne pathogen that causes stem rot disease on plants. It primarily attacks host stems including roots, fruits, petioles and leaves under favourable conditions. It commonly occurs in the tropics, subtropics and other warm temperate regions of the world. Common hosts are legumes, crucifers and cucurbits. On a global perspective, estimated losses of 10 – 20 million dollars associated with S. rolfsii have been recorded with yield depletion ranging from 1 – 60% in fields. Sclerotia serve as primary inoculum for the pathogen and are spread to uninfected areas by wind, water, animals and soil. Control measures include excluding the pathogen from the area, plant removal, soil removal, soil treatment, heat, solarization, chemical soil treatment, cultural practices, resistance and transgenic plant resistance, plant treatment, crop rotation, amongst others. Despite considerable research on this pathogen, its control continues to be a problem
