Sclerotium rolfsii, obtained from cucumber roots, grew up to 20 generations at 25°C and at 35°C to assess the effect of enhanced temperature on the growth pattern of the fungus. At 25°C, the isolates of early generations covered the entire plate (90 mm) on 120 h after inoculation. However, after the 8th generation, due to repeated isolation and inoculation, reduced mycelium growth observed and almost ceased after the 16th generation. At 35°C, the mycelium started to be visible after 96 h of inoculation but the growth found to be meagre. At this incubation temperature, mycelium attended the progress after 5th generation; a similar response noticed for the 5th to 15th -generation isolates. The adaptability in the growth of this fungus towards higher temperature shows its potential to survive in the changing environment as a result of climate change. Further, the comparison of pathogenicity between the 1st and 20th generation isolates was tested on moong (Vigna radiata). Across varieties, no effect of 1 st generation-and 20th generation-isolate on collar rot disease development was noticed. But yielding a similar amount of disease by the 20th generation-isolate, which is resistant to elevated temperature, is indicating to take caution that should be implemented in future to make strategies against S. rolfsii. | Temperature adaptability and disease development potentiality of multi-generation isolates of Sclerotium rolfsii
