Clonostachys rosea,a potential biological control agent for Rhizoctonia solani AG-3 causing black scurf on potato

Rhizoctonia solani AG-3 forms sclerotia on potato tubers, reducing quality and marketability. Potato discs with sclerotia were exposed to saturated soil, and following toothpick baiting, hyphae of R. solani parasitised with mycelia that either coiled around or penetrated cell walls were observed. Similar parasitic behaviour was observed in dual cultures. Clonostachys rosea was identified as the mycoparasite by morphology and ITS sequencing. When co-inoculated onto stems grown from disease-free seed potatoes, tubers of the C. rosea?+?R. solani inoculated plants had significantly lower black scurf (P?0.0001) and higher yield (P?=?0.0002) than R. solani inoculated controls.