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IN-VITRO GERMINATION OF TELIOSPORES OF TILLETIA INDICA MITRA, THE CAUSE OF PARTIAL BUNT OF WHEAT

S.A. JAMIL KHAN, M. JALALUDDIN* AND A. GHAFFAR*

Abstract: Karnal or partial bunt of wheat caused by Tilletia indica Mitra (Syn. Neovossia indica (Mitra) Mundkur) is an important disease of wheat in the Punjab and North West Frontier Province of Pakistan, where an incidence of 2-10% and upto 20% in some fields has been reported (Khan et al., 1992) as compared to 89% in some wheat samples from India (Joshi et al., 1983). The disease is transmitted through air borne inoculum (Bedi et al., 1963). Freshly collected teliospores due to their dormant state has either shown no germination (Mitra, 1935) or low % of germination (Bansal et al., 1983) with highest germination in one year old teliospores (Mathur & Ram, 1963). In the present study, germination of the teliospores were tested on different media in order to produce sporidia in culture which could be used for artificial inoculation of wheat germplasm for testing their resistance potential against partial bunt of wheat.

Crop Diseases Research Institute, PARe, Karachi University Campus, Karachi-75270, Pakistan.

Department of Botany, University of Karachi, Karachi-75270, Pakistan.