Diseases

White Mold — White Clover

Trifolium repens L.

A fungal disease of white clover, caused by the pathogen Sclerotinia trifoliorum, characterized by damage to the root collar, roots, and stem bases.

In the reference 7 varieties crop White clover, where this is mentioned in the description.

The primary causal agent of the disease in white clover is the specialized legume pathogen Sclerotinia trifoliorum Erikss. Unlike Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, which has a wide host range, this fungal species has a distinctly narrow specialization in infecting members of the genus Trifolium.

The disease appears in early spring, when the leaves of affected plants darken, curl, and become covered with a silvery coating. The tissues of the root collar and stem bases become water-soaked and begin to rot; in high humidity, a white fluffy mycelium forms on them. Gradually, black sclerotia — the resting bodies of the fungus that ensure its long-term survival in the soil — form within the tissues.

The infection leads to massive plant mortality, which manifests as the appearance of bare patches in fields and thinning of the stand. Specific resistance genes in white clover to this pathogen have not been identified, and breeding efforts are conducted by evaluating the relative susceptibility of cultivars to an infectious background.

General information about the subject — on the page White mold.

Sources8

Varieties of White clover mentioned in the description

Selection based on the description text, not on official evaluation: these data are absent from registers. For specific variety details, please refer to its profile.