Detection of Seed-Borne Fungal Pathogens Associated with Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) Seeds Cultivated in Cameroon

Seed-borne fungi of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) are responsible for numerous fungal diseases transmitted to plants through seeds. These fungal diseases result in enormous yield losses. The objective of this study was to carry out a study on seed-borne fungi of wheat. To achieve this objective, seeds from eight wheat varieties collected at the Institute of Agricultural Research for Development (IRAD) in Nkolbisson, Yaoundé, were collected and transported to the Life Science Laboratory at the University of Buea for detailed studies. This work was carried out using Potato Dextrose Agar (PDA) culture medium method and the Rolled Blotting Paper method. The results obtained from this work show that 21 fungal species are associated with wheat seeds. Twenty-one fungal species were identified by the PDA culture medium method and an additional 11 fungal species by the Rolled Blotting Paper method. With the PDA culture medium method, Fusarium graminearum (14.17%), Colletotrichum graminicola (9.89%) and Curvularia lunata (9%) were the most frequent and Penicillium sp. (1.83%) was the least frequent. Using the Rolled Blotting Paper method, species such as Acremonium sp., Alternaria triticina, Bipolaris sorokiniana, Cladosporium herbarum, Epicoccum purpurascens, Fusarium culmorum, Mucor sp., Nigrospora sp., Ulocladium atrum and Zymoseptoria tritici were not sampled. These results revealed a wide diversity of seed-borne fungi of wheat, hence the need to develop an effective means of controlling these seed-borne fungi.