Efficiency of Blotter test and agar culture medium to detect Fusarium graminearum and Pyricularia grisea in wheat seeds

Abstract: Seeds can be considered one of the most efficient forms to disseminate pathogens. Therefore, the use of healthy seeds is extremely important to establish a crop, and seed health testing must be performed to determine the seed sanitary quality. This study aimed to compare the efficiency of seed health testing to detect Pyricularia grisea and Fusarium graminearum in three samples of wheat seeds. Methods evaluated were Blotter test with freezing (BTF) and potato-dextrose-agar culture medium (PDA). The incubation temperatures were 20 ºC and 25 ºC. From each sample, a subsample was submitted to seed asepsis using hypochlorite solution (1%) and another analyzed without seed asepsis. The temperatures evaluated did not influence the detection of the pathogens. P. grisea incidence ranged from 4.5 to 17% with BTF without seed asepsis. The BTF with seed asepsis and PDA (with and without seed asepsis) presented pathogen incidence no higher than 1.5%. Moreover, results suggested that most part of P. grisea inoculum was presented externally on seed tissues. PDA medium was more efficient to detect F. graminearum, independently of seed asepsis. By this method, pathogen incidence ranged from 3 to 39%. F. graminearum incidence using BTF with seed asepsis varied from 0.5 to 1.5% and BTF without seed asepsis presented a pathogen incidence of 5.0 to 12.5%. The Blotter test with freezing was more efficient to detect P. grisea while the PDA medium was more efficient to detect F. graminearum.