Sphaceloma arachidis is a fungal pathogen that produces asexual spores known as conidia and microconidia.

Both of these spores are stored in acervuli, which are asexual fruiting bodies that have a pad or mat-like shape and are formed below the epidermal tissue of the host.

A second source of inoculum is also spread during the growing season, making this a polycyclic disease.

[3] It is typical for a scab disease to cause "crustaceous lesions on fruit, tuber, leaf, or stem" and to affect the whole plant.

[7] Another form of management includes sanitation efforts of moving the infected debris that the pathogen survives in so there is no inoculum present when new seeds are planted.