SUMMARYCharcoal rot, caused by Macrophomina phaseolina, is the most prevalent and important disease of crop plants such as sunflower. Although it is monotypic and no physiological races have been reported, it has high genetic variability resulting in a wide host range, which in turn means that crop rotation is not an effective strategy to combat the disease. The current paper reviews the adverse effects of this disease and summarizes the present state of knowledge about charcoal rot severity and its impact on crop production.