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SEED BORNE FUNGI ASSOCIATED WITH CHICKPEA IN PAKISTAN

SHAHNAZ DAWAR, FARZANA SYED AND A. GHAFFAR

Abstract: Using blotter, agar plate and deep freezing methods as recommended by ISTA, the seed-borne mycoflora of 14 chickpea seed samples collected from different areas of Pakistan was examined. A total number of 21 species belonging to 13 genera of fungi were isolated. Of these 4 species viz., Absidia glauca, Rhizoctonia solani, Syncephalastrum sp., and Trichoderma harzianum are new reports from Pakistan. Pathogenic fungi viz., Fusarium moniliforme, F. oxysporum, Macrophomina phaseolina and Rhizoctonia solani, and saprophytic fungi like Aspergillus niger and A. flavus were pre-dominant. Component plating of chickpea seeds showed that seed coat and cotyledons were infected by greater number of fungi followed by axis (radicle+plumule). M. phaseolina and R. solani were also isolated from seed coat, cotyledons and axis of seed. The fungal species were reduced in surface sterilized seeds which indicate that most of fungi were located on seed coat. Blotter method showed greater incidence of fungi on different parts of seeds followed by agar plate and deep-freezing method.

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