Establishment and sanity of wheat seedlings produced from seeds infected with Pyricularia oryzae Triticum

Pyricularia oryzae Triticum (PoT) is known to survive in wheat seeds and this condition favors its spread. There are, however, many gaps in knowledge regarding the damage caused by this pathogen in relation to the establishment and sanity of wheat seedlings. The objective of this study was to determine whether there is a correlation between incidence of PoT in wheat seeds and variables associated with the establishment and the sanity of the produced seedlings. Seven samples of wheat seeds naturally infected with the pathogen were used. The incidence of PoT in each of the seed samples was determined via the Blotter test, indicating a variation from 0 to 80.5%. The seeds of each sample were sown in 500 mL plastic pots containing autoclaved sand and the seedlings produced were evaluated in relation to the following aspects; emergency, height, lesions in different segments, mortality, abnormalities and transmissibility of symptoms. The study demonstrated that there is a correlation between incidence of PoT in wheat seeds and the following variables related to the seedlings produced; height at 7 days after sowing (DAS), incidence and severity of symptoms at 7, 14 and 21 DAS, and mortality at 14 and 21 DAS. The results confirmed that the establishment and sanity of wheat seedlings directly depend on incidence of PoT in the seeds.