Rhizoctonia solani AG2-2, THE CAUSAL AGENT OF Thymus daenensis ROOT ROT

Damping off, wilt, root and crown rot, and plant death of Thymus daenensis were observed in greenhouse and field in Lorestan province. Samples of diseased plants were collected and after surface- sterilization of infected tissues with sodium hypochlorite (1%), placed on PDA medium. Six fungal isolates were obtained from infected tissues. According to Koch ̓s rules, the Ka2 isolate caused crown and root rots and seedling damping-off in greenhouse. According to morphological characters and anastomosis groups, the pathogenic isolate belonged to Rhizoctonia solani AG2-2. In addition, sequence of the ITS region and its phylogenetic analysis confirmed morphological identification. This is the first report of R. solani from T. daenensis in Iran.