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Socio-epidemiological Characterization and Phytosanitary Diagnosis of Southern Blight Caused by Sclerotium rolfsii in Vegetable Production Systems in Côte d’Ivoire

Received: 19 June 2025     Accepted: 21 July 2025     Published: 22 July 2025
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Abstract

Southern blight, or white mold, caused by Sclerotium rolfsii (Sacc.), represents an emerging and concerning phytosanitary constraint threatening the sustainability of vegetable production systems in Côte d’Ivoire, particularly in agro-ecological zones with high production density. This study aimed to establish an epidemiological and socio-agronomic diagnosis of the disease, analyze farmers’ perceptions, and evaluate local phytosanitary management practices from a sustainability perspective. A multidisciplinary and participatory approach was implemented between 2021 and 2022 across six agro-ecological zones, combining phytopathological surveys on 223 plots, semi-structured interviews with producers, and morpho-diagnostic laboratory analyses. The results revealed a high disease prevalence, affecting 64.57% of the plots, with a maximum incidence of 34.44% and severity reaching 22.59% in the AEZ IV. Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) was the most affected host, followed by eggplant, peanut, and bean. Despite this widespread distribution, farmers’ knowledge remained limited. Only 52.91% of the producers recognized the symptoms from the images, and barely 13% could identify characteristic fungal structures (mycelium, sclerotia), which correlated with a high illiteracy rate (72.65%). The observed cultural practices (high-risk crop rotations, empirical fungicide applications, lack of effective prophylactic measures) were largely inappropriate. Multifactorial analyses indicated a significant influence of education level, gender, and geographic zone on farmers’ disease knowledge. These findings highlight the urgent need to strengthen farmers’ capacities through targeted training, integration of indigenous knowledge, and promotion of integrated management strategies within a context-specific framework for the sustainable management of southern blight in Ivorian vegetable production systems.

Published in American Journal of BioScience (Volume 13, Issue 3)
DOI 10.11648/j.ajbio.20251303.11
Page(s) 69-87
Creative Commons

This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.

Copyright

Copyright © The Author(s), 2025. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Sclerotium rolfsii, Southern blight, Vegetable Farming, Farmer Perception, Integrated Disease Management, Epidemiological Diagnosis, Agro-ecological Zones

References
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Cite This Article
  • APA Style

    Bamba, B., Tuo, S., Coulibaly, S., Dembélé, A., Koné, D. (2025). Socio-epidemiological Characterization and Phytosanitary Diagnosis of Southern Blight Caused by Sclerotium rolfsii in Vegetable Production Systems in Côte d’Ivoire. American Journal of BioScience, 13(3), 69-87. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajbio.20251303.11

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    ACS Style

    Bamba, B.; Tuo, S.; Coulibaly, S.; Dembélé, A.; Koné, D. Socio-epidemiological Characterization and Phytosanitary Diagnosis of Southern Blight Caused by Sclerotium rolfsii in Vegetable Production Systems in Côte d’Ivoire. Am. J. BioScience 2025, 13(3), 69-87. doi: 10.11648/j.ajbio.20251303.11

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    AMA Style

    Bamba B, Tuo S, Coulibaly S, Dembélé A, Koné D. Socio-epidemiological Characterization and Phytosanitary Diagnosis of Southern Blight Caused by Sclerotium rolfsii in Vegetable Production Systems in Côte d’Ivoire. Am J BioScience. 2025;13(3):69-87. doi: 10.11648/j.ajbio.20251303.11

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  • @article{10.11648/j.ajbio.20251303.11,
      author = {Barakissa Bamba and Seydou Tuo and Souleymane Coulibaly and Aminata Dembélé and Daouda Koné},
      title = {Socio-epidemiological Characterization and Phytosanitary Diagnosis of Southern Blight Caused by Sclerotium rolfsii in Vegetable Production Systems in Côte d’Ivoire},
      journal = {American Journal of BioScience},
      volume = {13},
      number = {3},
      pages = {69-87},
      doi = {10.11648/j.ajbio.20251303.11},
      url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajbio.20251303.11},
      eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ajbio.20251303.11},
      abstract = {Southern blight, or white mold, caused by Sclerotium rolfsii (Sacc.), represents an emerging and concerning phytosanitary constraint threatening the sustainability of vegetable production systems in Côte d’Ivoire, particularly in agro-ecological zones with high production density. This study aimed to establish an epidemiological and socio-agronomic diagnosis of the disease, analyze farmers’ perceptions, and evaluate local phytosanitary management practices from a sustainability perspective. A multidisciplinary and participatory approach was implemented between 2021 and 2022 across six agro-ecological zones, combining phytopathological surveys on 223 plots, semi-structured interviews with producers, and morpho-diagnostic laboratory analyses. The results revealed a high disease prevalence, affecting 64.57% of the plots, with a maximum incidence of 34.44% and severity reaching 22.59% in the AEZ IV. Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) was the most affected host, followed by eggplant, peanut, and bean. Despite this widespread distribution, farmers’ knowledge remained limited. Only 52.91% of the producers recognized the symptoms from the images, and barely 13% could identify characteristic fungal structures (mycelium, sclerotia), which correlated with a high illiteracy rate (72.65%). The observed cultural practices (high-risk crop rotations, empirical fungicide applications, lack of effective prophylactic measures) were largely inappropriate. Multifactorial analyses indicated a significant influence of education level, gender, and geographic zone on farmers’ disease knowledge. These findings highlight the urgent need to strengthen farmers’ capacities through targeted training, integration of indigenous knowledge, and promotion of integrated management strategies within a context-specific framework for the sustainable management of southern blight in Ivorian vegetable production systems.},
     year = {2025}
    }
    

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  • TY  - JOUR
    T1  - Socio-epidemiological Characterization and Phytosanitary Diagnosis of Southern Blight Caused by Sclerotium rolfsii in Vegetable Production Systems in Côte d’Ivoire
    AU  - Barakissa Bamba
    AU  - Seydou Tuo
    AU  - Souleymane Coulibaly
    AU  - Aminata Dembélé
    AU  - Daouda Koné
    Y1  - 2025/07/22
    PY  - 2025
    N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajbio.20251303.11
    DO  - 10.11648/j.ajbio.20251303.11
    T2  - American Journal of BioScience
    JF  - American Journal of BioScience
    JO  - American Journal of BioScience
    SP  - 69
    EP  - 87
    PB  - Science Publishing Group
    SN  - 2330-0167
    UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajbio.20251303.11
    AB  - Southern blight, or white mold, caused by Sclerotium rolfsii (Sacc.), represents an emerging and concerning phytosanitary constraint threatening the sustainability of vegetable production systems in Côte d’Ivoire, particularly in agro-ecological zones with high production density. This study aimed to establish an epidemiological and socio-agronomic diagnosis of the disease, analyze farmers’ perceptions, and evaluate local phytosanitary management practices from a sustainability perspective. A multidisciplinary and participatory approach was implemented between 2021 and 2022 across six agro-ecological zones, combining phytopathological surveys on 223 plots, semi-structured interviews with producers, and morpho-diagnostic laboratory analyses. The results revealed a high disease prevalence, affecting 64.57% of the plots, with a maximum incidence of 34.44% and severity reaching 22.59% in the AEZ IV. Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) was the most affected host, followed by eggplant, peanut, and bean. Despite this widespread distribution, farmers’ knowledge remained limited. Only 52.91% of the producers recognized the symptoms from the images, and barely 13% could identify characteristic fungal structures (mycelium, sclerotia), which correlated with a high illiteracy rate (72.65%). The observed cultural practices (high-risk crop rotations, empirical fungicide applications, lack of effective prophylactic measures) were largely inappropriate. Multifactorial analyses indicated a significant influence of education level, gender, and geographic zone on farmers’ disease knowledge. These findings highlight the urgent need to strengthen farmers’ capacities through targeted training, integration of indigenous knowledge, and promotion of integrated management strategies within a context-specific framework for the sustainable management of southern blight in Ivorian vegetable production systems.
    VL  - 13
    IS  - 3
    ER  - 

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Author Information
  • Plant Physiology and Pathology Teaching and Research Unit, University of Félix HOUPHOUËT-BOIGNY, UFR Biosciences, Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire

  • Plant Physiology and Pathology Teaching and Research Unit, University of Félix HOUPHOUËT-BOIGNY, UFR Biosciences, Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire. Biodiversity and Sustainable Agriculture (Wascal/CEA-CCBAD), Wascal/African Center of Excellence on Climate Change, Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire

  • Life and Earth Sciences, Science and Technology Department, Normal Superior School (ENS), d' Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire

  • Plant Physiology and Pathology Teaching and Research Unit, University of Félix HOUPHOUËT-BOIGNY, UFR Biosciences, Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire

  • Plant Physiology and Pathology Teaching and Research Unit, University of Félix HOUPHOUËT-BOIGNY, UFR Biosciences, Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire. Biodiversity and Sustainable Agriculture (Wascal/CEA-CCBAD), Wascal/African Center of Excellence on Climate Change, Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire

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