Prevalence and Management of Phytopathogenic Seed-Borne Fungi of Maize
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Date
2023
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
MDPI
Abstract
Seed-borne fungi are solemn and deleterious pathogens capable of causing significant
losses of quantity and quality losses in maize seeds and seedlings. They infect the crop at all
points of the production chain from farms to stores. A yield loss of up to 50% can be encountered.
Currently, chemical control of the disease is being implemented, though it is accompanied by several
negative effects. This study aimed at identifying seed-borne fungi of maize and effective management
options. A deep-freezing blotter method and morphological identification of the fungal species
were implemented. The seed-borne fungi detected were Fusarium verticillioides, Aspergillus flavus,
Aspergillus niger, Penicillium spp., Rhizopus spp., and Curvularia spp. However, in farmer-saved seeds,
fungal incidences were significantly higher (p < 0.01) than in certified seeds. To identify more effective
management options, the efficacy of water and ethanol-extracted bio-fungicides from three plant
species, namely, neem (Azadirachta indica), ginger (Zingiber officinale), and coffee (Coffea arabica) were
evaluated. From in vitro assays, ethanol-extracted bio-fungicides have a 100% inhibitory effect on
fungal growth, whilst the inhibitory effects of water-extracted bio-fungicides are 55.88% (Azadirachta
indica) and 46.31% (Zingiber officinale), followed by 5.15% (Coffea arabica). For the case of an in vivo
assay, maize seeds treated with water-extracted bio-fungicides have higher seed germination and
seedling vigor percentages. For germination, seeds treated with water-extracted bio-fungicides
have higher percentages (neem and ginger (90%) followed by coffee (72.5%)) than ethanol-extracted
bio-fungicides (neem (0%), ginger (2.5%), and coffee (0%)). A similar observation is made for seedling
weight. Therefore, the tested water-extracted bio-fungicides can be used in treating seeds before
sowing them. Further studies on effective methods of extracting bioactive compounds, and improving
their shelf life, are recommended.
Description
Journal Article
Keywords
Anti-fungal, Bio-fungicide, Farmer-saved seed, Seed-borne fungi, Seed treatment
Citation
Erasto, R.; Kilasi, N.; Madege, R.R. Prevalence and Management of Phytopathogenic Seed-Borne Fungi of Maize. Seeds 2023, 2, 30–42.