Seed-borne Mycoflora associated with Stored Mustard (Brassica juncea L.) Seeds and their Pathogenic Potential

Six fungal genera viz., Alternaria, Rhi-zoctonia, Penicillium, Aspergillus, Curvularia and Rhizopus were found associated with seeds of two popular Indian mustard (Brassica juncea L.) varieties stored for different priods. Per cent inci-dence of different fungi varied with duration of storage period and detection methods used. The incidence of A. brassicae was highest (48%) fol-lowed by A. brassicicola (20.3%) and Rhizoctonia bataticola (18.3). The seed germination percent-age and vigor index decreased with increasing the storage period. Germination of seeds ranged from 55 to 95% in respect of variety and storage period. The highest vigor index in both the varie-ties was recorded in seeds stored for 6 months. Modified PDA method was found efficient in de-tecting the seed-borne incidence (13.2%) fol-lowed by standard blotter (11.1%) and deep-freezing blotter method (6.9%).