Evaluation of seed infection of fungi in Chickpea

The study aims at identifying pathogenic fungi associated with gram different categories (Cicer arietinum L.) seeds. Seed health testing is a pre requisite for seed improvement, seed production, seed certification and trade in seed. Using blotter, and agar plate methods as recommended by ISTA, the seed mycoflora of different gram seed samples was examined. About thirty fungal species were isolated from these seeds most abundant - among these were Alternaria alternata, Chaetomium spp., Penicillium citrinum, Aspergillus niger, A. flavus, Rhizopus nigricans, Fusarium oxysporum. The no of fungal species were reduced in surface sterilized seeds which indicate of that many of the fungi were located on seed coat. Blotter method showed greater incidence of fungi on different parts of seeds followed by agar plate method. The seed mycoflora devalue the seed quality, reduce its nutritional value and cause a germination failure of the seedlings and of the crop raised from such infected seeds