Diversity of seed-borne fungal phytopathogens

Abstract

Contaminated seeds are the primary sources that are responsible for the spread of seed-borne diseases. Several seed-borne diseases are responsible for low productivity, but fungal seed-borne diseases are the most important. After harvesting, the storage and climate are the main determinants for the increase in microflora propagules on seed coats in different geographic areas. Crop production mostly depends on seed quality that comes in contact with different groups of fungal pathogens, responsible for disease distribution and reduced economy of agriculture worldwide. Stored seeds have huge amount of different microflora on economically important crops which are widely considered as pathogenic, phytotoxic, and carcinogenic. The aberrations like discoloration of seed, necrosis, delayed germination, dormancy, and other seed abnormalities happen on seed due to several seed-borne fungal pathogens. This chapter includes the detail description of distribution, biology, and symptoms of major seed-borne phytopathogens, viz., Fusarium, Tilletia, Alternaria, Curvularia, Penicillium, and Aspergillus. This chapter also includes the cultural resource available at Indian Type Culture Collection which will be useful in research associated with seed-borne fungal phytopathogens.