SEED-BORNE FUNGI OF SOME IMPORTANT CROPS GROWN IN SRI-LANKA

Surveys were made to determine the extent of seed infection in 32 crop plants cultivated in Sri Lanka. Of the 90 species of over 40 genera of fungi that were identified, some were economically important pathogens whilst others were only weak pathogens or saprophytes. Macrophomina phaseolina was recorded in 16 crops and in seed lots stored in a refrigerator for over nine years. Other noteworthy pathogens that were isolated included Ascochyta sp., Botryodiplodia theobromae, Botrytis cinerea, Cercospora kikuchii, Colletotrichum dematium, Corynespora cassiicola, Didymella bryoniae, Drechslera maydis, Fusarium oxysporum, Fusarium solani, Myrothecium roridum, Myrothecium verrucaria, Phoma spp., Phomopsis sojae, Pyricularia grisea and Rhizoctonia solani state of Thanatephorus cucumeris. The saprophytes isolated included Aspergillus niger, Chaetomium globosum, Chaetomium funicola and Trichoderma spp.