Mycoflora associated with inundated Bengal gram plants and their management

Bengal gram pods soaked in rain water revealed the presence of fungal species viz., Alternaria, Rhizoctonia, Ascochyta, Helminthosporium and Aspergillus. Among these Alternaria was predominant (57.4%) followed by Aspergillus (23.3%), Rhizoctonia (10.7%), Helminthosporium (7.5%) and Ascochyta (1.1%). Seeds looked apparently healthy, but they were found small and slightly wrinkled. Alternaria alternata and Ascochyta rabiei, besides Aspergillus flavus were isolated from young seedlings of untreated seeds. Seed treatment with carbendazim or benomyl @ 0.1% was effective to eradicate the seed borne infection of Ascochyta rabiei and Alternaria alternata and improved the germination in Apparently Healthy (AH) and Apparently Diseased (AD) seeds. Hence drying followed by treatment with 0.1% benomyl or carbendazim of seed from inundated bengal gram plants was recommended to the farmers.