Seed borne fungi of rice from South Tamil Nadu

Fungi associated with seeds of five cultivars of rice were isolated by agar and blotter paper methods. The fungus was isolated from the contaminated surface of unmilled rice grain and identified based on their typical structure and basic characters as suggested by Barnett and Hunter (1972). Five pathogenic fungi, namely Aspergillus flavus, A. niger, Penicillium citrinum, Alternaria padwickii and Rhizopus oryzae were isolated and identified from different varieties of rice seeds. The findings suggest that there is a need for proper storage of rice seed to minimize the fungal infestation and their mycotoxin production. This study also reveals that the presence of diverse mycoflora of both pathogenic and non-pathogenic fungi in rice seeds in ruling varieties and hybrids in Tamil Nadu.