Sunflower Head Rot Diseases: Botrytis Head Rot and Bacterial Head Rot

Sunflower is affected by many difficult-to-distinguish diseases whose prevalence and economic importance varies by geography, time, and management practices. In this Diagnostic Guide, we present information on Botrytis head rot and bacterial rots. Botrytis head rot caused by Botrytis cinerea Pers. can be a common and significant disease in favorable environments, whereas bacterial rots usually occur opportunistically and sporadically, resulting in limited yield loss. In this paper, we concentrate on providing information to identify and distinguish these diseases and a comprehensive review of methods and techniques for working with the causal pathogens, and we emphasize the importance of disease cycles for identification and management.