Fungal association in water treated seeds of chilli (capsicum annum l.) cv. pc-1

Abstract

This investigation was carried out to assess the fungal association with differently water treated seeds. Five seed lots of Chilli (Capsicum annum L.) cv. PC-1 were soaked in water once, twice, thrice, four times for 24 hours and dried in an oven at 40oC for 9 hours. Meanwhile the untreated seed lot was included as control treatment. Five seeds from each water treated seed lot and control were washed with 70% alcohol for surface sterilization for few minutes and immediately washed with distilled water. Subsequently they were placed on potato dextrose agar media in four replications. Ten days after inoculation fungi developed on seeds were sub-cultured to obtain the pure culture. Fungi Aspergillus niger were observed in once, twice, thrice and four times water soaked seeds as well in untreated seeds. In addition Colletotrichum capscici and a fungus similar to Thanatephorus cucumeris were found only in untreated seeds. From the results of the investigation, it could be concluded that seeds soaked in water had an effect on the control of seed-borne fungi namely Colletotrichum capscici and a fungus similar to Thanatephorus cucumeris other than Aspergillus nige in chilli seeds.