CONTAMINATION OF STORED SEEDS OF FOUR EGGPLANT (Solanum melongena L.) CULTIVARS BY MYCOFLORA

Seed tests were conducted in vitro at the Seed Pathology Unit of CSIR-Crops Research Institute to assess the incidence of seed-borne mycoflora associated with seeds of four eggplant cultivars available in Ghana. These cultivars are CRI-O2, Kpando, Oforiwaa and Dwomo. The Blotter method was used for the identification of fungal species. About 31% of the seeds tested were infected by different species of fungi at storage and none of the varieties tested was free from fungal species. Kpando recorded the highest total fungal infection of about 30%. Twelve fungal species were identified to be associated with the four cultivars. The major disease-causing fungi found to be associated with the seeds were: Aspergilus flavus, Fusarium oxysporum and Colletotrichum sp. A. flavus, on O2, recorded the highest frequency of occurrence with 21.5%. It was followed by Penicillium sp. with frequency of 17% on Kpando. Some of the fungal species showed least frequency of occurrence between 0.5-1%. The most predominant fungus on all the four cultivars was A. flavus (45.81%). This study has revealed that eggplant seeds like other vegetable seeds in Ghana are infected by several kinds of mycoflora. Seeds contaminated by pathogens that are also soil-borne may be established in non-infested soil if sown there. In conclusion, it is recommended that farmers should be educated on seed treatment with appropriate chemicals and bio-agents which would be essential in reducing field and postharvest contamination of eggplant seeds.