Effect of Seed Treatment on Seed Mycoflora in Bengalgram

Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) is the premier pulse crop of India and widely appreciated as health food. Chickpea suffers from several seed borne diseases and also regarded as major constraints in the production. Seed borne infection of fungal pathogens are important not only for its association with the seeds which cause germination failure or causing disease to newly emerged seedlings or growing plants, but also contaminate soil by establishing its inocula permanently. It is well known that infected seed serves as the source for the occurrence of diseases in disease free areas. It was therefore necessary to search for control measures that are cheap, ecologically sound and environmentally safe to eliminate the incidence of these pathogens, so as to increase seed germination and to obtain healthy and vigorous plant as well as better yields. To increase the production of chickpea quantitatively and qualitatively farmers requires healthy and quality seeds with high percentage of germination and purity. Hence, it is imperative that seeds must be tested before they are sown in the field. So, it necessitates the eradication of seed-borne inoculum through various seed treatments.