(go to KOMUGI Home) (go to WIS List) (go to NO.76 Contents)


Results and discussion

Yield in each treatment is presented in
Table1. The great effect of Septoria nodorum blotch was shown on the yields of natural seeds with reduction in 37% in 1989 and 14% reduction in 1990 in the plot of artificial infection. Unfavourable climate conditions for development of this disease were the reason for that the yield in 1990 was increased tremendously than that in 1989. The fungicide treatment alleviated the effect of the disease on yield. These results agree with those reported in the previous investigations (Koric 1980, 1987a). The results also indicate that the effect of this disease on yield could not be completely eliminated with one treatment at early heading stage, maybe because climatic conditions were favourable for the development of the disease under natural conditions. This disease also reduced the yield of processed seed to 52% and 81% without and with the treatment of a fungicide in relation to the check, respectively, in 1989. Percentage of discarded seeds was 23% higher than that of the check when wheat was severely infected with Septoria nodorum blotch. One treatment of a fungicide resulted 11% lesser discarded seeds than those in the check. Such reduction in discarded seeds can easily be explained by the effect of fungicide which protect upper leaves from disease attack, thus providing normal vegetative condition of the plant and kernel formation

Table 2 gives the yield classified by a share of each grade for each treatment in year 1989. Percentage of grades that passed through opening lesser than 2.2 mm (discarded seed) was far greater in the plots of artificial infection than in other two treatments. A similar ratio was observed with a share of grade 2.2 mm. Share of grades with screen perforations 2.5 mm was more or less identical in all treatments, whereas the one with perforations 2.8 mm was the markedly highest in the cheek. Based on this investigation and all others carried out up to now in our Institute, we concluded that Septoria nodorum blotch affects kernel size and hence, directly seed quality.

Comparing the results of
Table1 and Table 2, ie, the results obtained after processing and grading mean sample (1 kg) of the same seed, virtually the same ration of high and low-quality seed was obtained for all the treatment examined, when kernels smaller than 2.5 mm were classified as lowquality, and those above 2.5 mm as high quality seed. Significantly different rations in seed grades over 2.5 mm were observed among the treatments, namely 67%, 76.5% and 83% in artificial infection, fungicide application and natural infection, respectively, which were much higher percentages than smaller seed grades of 2.5 mm. Also is a well-known fact that kernel size above 2.5 mm provided the highest seed capacity, ie, the highest productivity which is a result of kernel size or absolute seed weight.

Results of testing sanitary condition of the seed for each treatment showed that endosperm infection with Leptosphaeria nodorum were from 7 to 71% which depends on year and treatments (
Table1). That is the same as the investigation before (Koric1987b). Percentage of Leptosphaeria nodorum grain infection was significantly higher in artificially infected plants than those in the check plot. With one fungicide application, infection was somewhat less severe, but still very high, 49% and 27% in 1989 and 1990, respectively, and far from Croatia's regulations in which only seeds up to 3% of infection can be marketed as commodity.


References

Eyal Z, Scharen AL Prescott JM, and Ginkel M van (1987) The Septoria Diseases of Wheat: Concepts and methods of disease management Mexico, DF: CIMMYT

Koric B (1980) Cemical control of septoria nodorum blotch in wheat. Glasnik zastite bilja vol 9 (5): 196-202 (in Croatian).

Koric B (1987a) Investigation of effects some fungicides in control of Leptosphaeria nodorum causal septoria nodorum blotch. Proceedings of Yugoslav conference for application of pesticides. 201-203 (in Croatian).

Koric B (1987 b) Investigation of seed-boorn infection with Leptosphaeria nodorum. Rachis, vol. 6 (l): 44-45.

Mathur SB and Lee Silvia, LN (.1987) A quick method for screening wheat seed samples for Septoria nodorum. Seed Science and Technology 6: 925-926.

Strona IG and Ubozenko, AG (1970) Importance of bigness seed in seed production. Selekcija i semenovodstvo 1: 48-51 (in Russian).

Zadoks JC, Chang TT and Konzak CF (1974) A decimal code for the growth astages of cereals. Weed Research 14: 415-421.

<--Back

(go to KOMUGI Home) (go to WIS List) (go to NO.76 Contents)