Seedborne Fungi and Fungicide Seed Treatment of Ginseng

The incidence of fungi and their possible contribution to low vigour were examined in a collection of ginseng (Panax quiquefolius) seed from Ontario. When examined after one winter of stratification in the field and storage at 4f for five months in the laboratory, the collection exhibited low vigour (plant stand 16.7% of seeding rate six weeks after seeding) and high incidence (94%) of discolored or soft seed. Fungi isolated (and incidence) from 1,304 endosperm halves recovered from surface-sterilized seed were, in order of abundance, Fusarium rostrum (22.2%), Chaetomium crispuum (14.3%), Funriud oxysporum (9.0%), Fusarium sdani (9.0%), iwmor sp. (8.4%), Alternaria sp. (8.1%), Zowieua lucotricha (7.8%), Cylindruarpn sp. (0.9%), Fusarium avenacmm (0.9%), and Vdudla iliata (0.4%). Most of these fungi, including known and potential pathogens of ginseng (species of Alerraria, Cylindrocarpon, Fusarium, and Trichodirma), were associated with both healthy and diseased seed. Application of Benlate (benomyl), Thiram (thiram), or UBI-2584 (tebuconazole) to seed caused slight to pronounced reduction in emergence and did not significantly affect plant stand six weeks after seeding. The study demonstrated the high level of infection by fungi, including known and potential pathogens of the cry, in an arbitrary collection of ginseng seed from commercial sources, and the phytotoxicity of the fungicides tested when applied to moist stratified seed. The lack of efficacy of the fungicides precluded determination of the contribution of seedborne fungi to low vigour of the seed.