Fungicides and Essential Oils for Controlling Maize Seed-Borne Fusarium moniliforme and its Transmission into Seedlings

Seed borne diseases are important constraints to maize production. Investigations were carried out to identify fungal infection of maize seed and determine its effect on seed germination. Studies on the effects of fungicides and essential oils from aromatic plants on the level of seed-borne F. moniliforme and its seed to seedling transmission were also part of the work. Blotter method was used for seed health testing while germination in sand was followed for seed germination test. Maize seed samples identified with low infection (1-10%), medium infection (11-30%) and heavy infection (<30%) of F. moniliforme showed a germination of 93%, 98% and 85% respectively proving that heavy infection of this fungus reduces significantly the germination and should be controlled. Seed treatment with 3 fungicides i.e Apron star, Benlate and Marshall resulted into a significant increase in the germination only in the heavily infected category. It could be concluded that seed lot identified as low and medium F. moniliforme infection can be sown without any seed treatment. The control of F. moniliforme in seeds was achieved at 90% in all the 4 cultivars tested using the essential oils extracted from O. gratissimum and C. citratus. Improvement of the germination was recorded from the treatment with the essential oils. The control of seed to seedling transmission of F. moniliforme was achieved at 47% for the essential oils O. gratissimum and 31% for C. citratus. These control effects of the essential oils from O. gratissimum and C. citratus on F. moniliforme in maize seeds as well as the improvement in the germination disclosed the potential use of the 2 essential oils studied as seed treatment against fungi in maize.