Bio-Deterioration of Soybean (Glycine Max L.) by Seed Borne Fungi

Soybean (Glycine max L.) is an important oil seed crop. Several fungi are destructive pathogens of soybean infecting seeds. Their invasion results in reduced seed yield, seed discoloration, mycotoxin production and total deterioration. The prevalent fungi responsible for this situation include Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus niger, Alternaria sp.,, Fusarium oxysporum, Chaetomium sp., Colletotrichum sp., Curvularia sp., Nigrospora sp., Macrophomina sp., Penicillium sp., Rhizoctonia sp., and Rhizopus sp. etc. The fungi involved in seed bio-deterioration induce quantitative and qualitative alterations in the chemical composition of seeds. During present study soybean varieties JS-335 and KDS-726 were inoculated with A. flavus, A. niger, F oxysporum and R. nigricans. The physico-chemical characteristics of infected seeds were studied, which included alterations in, dry weight, ash content, starch, proteins, oils, color, odor, specific gravity, saponification value, and iodine value of oil.