Seed-borne plant diseases and methods of control

Abstract

Healthy seeds play a pivotal role in ensuring robust crop yield and overall plant health. Seed health testing is conducted to detect the presence or absence of insect infestations and seed-borne pathogens, including fungi, bacteria, and viruses. The most detrimental impact of seed-borne pathogens lies in the contamination of previously disease-free areas and the introduction of novel plant diseases. Sowing contaminated or infected seeds not only facilitates the dissemination of pathogens, but can also severely reduce yield by 15% to 90%. Some of the major seed-borne diseases adversely affecting cereal, oilseed, pulse, and vegetable production—particularly under the warm, humid conditions prevalent in tropical and subtropical regions—include blast and brown spot of rice, white tip nematode, ear cockle of wheat, bacterial leaf blight of rice, downy mildew, smuts, head rot, seedling blight, anthracnose, halo blight, and various viral diseases. Therefore, the accurate detection of seed-borne pathogens (fungi, bacteria, and viruses) represents a paramount preventive measure to ensure disease-free crops. It is well established that utilizing infected or pathogen-bearing seeds yields a significantly high probability of producing diseased plants and compromised crop performance.