Intensity of seed-borne fungi in farm saved seeds of oil and cereals

The book is a study that was carried out during the 2011-12 season to identify the fungal seed-borne pathogens and/or diseases in seed samples of peanut, pearl millet and sorghum collected from farm saved samples of different zones of Eritrea. Seed samples were tested for germination, fungal infection and pathogen frequency in the laboratory. Disease intensity on plants was assessed at 2-week intervals from the time disease symptoms appeared in the field for a period of 10 weeks. Seed germination percentage was high in pearl millet (97%) followed by sorghum (93%) and groundnut (91%). Seven pathogenic fungal genera were Alternaria, Aspergillus, Fusarium, Helminthosporium, Mucor, Penicillium and Rhizopus. Percent frequency of seed-borne fungi was higher in groundnut (73%) and minimum in sorghum (15%). Diseases observed in the field were Cercospora leaf spot (Cercospora personata and C. arachidichola) in groundnut, downy mildew (Sclerospora graminicola) and rust (Puccinia penniseti) in pearl millet, anthracnose (Colletotrichum graminicola) and covered smut (Sphacelotheca sorghi) in sorghum.