ABSTRACT

                Pearl millet (Pennisetum typhoides), also known as Bajra, is one of the four most important cereals (rice, maize, sorghum and millets) grown in tropical semi-arid regions of the world primarily in Africa and Asia. Our aim is to study the infection and transmission of Curvularia lunata (C. lunata) in pearl millet. The seed of pearl millet (Pennisetum typhoides) naturally infected with Curvularia lunata were black discolored. Out of 134 seed samples of local cultivar collected from 21 districts of Rajasthan ,106 carried 0.5% to 92.50% incidence of infected seeds which on incubation yielded 1-85% incidence of C. lunata. Histopathology of symptomatic seeds revealed infection of C. lunata confined to pericarp and aleurone layer near hilar end in seeds showing black discoloration near hilar region only and to all parts including endosperm and embryo in heavily blackened seeds. Asymptomatic (healthy looking) seeds also carried infection in pericarp and endosperm. In growth test, the hyphal inoculum produce in seed spread to seedling and caused loss in germination. Thus, we find that the embryonic infection in seed of pearl millet infected with Curvularia lunata caused pre- and post-emergence mortality and the pathogen is both externally and internally seed-borne. The internal inoculum affects the seed germination.

Keywords: Pearl Millet, Curvularia Lunata, Seed Infection, Transmission.