Fungi occurring on seed and herbage of berseem, alfalfa and tall fescue in Mediterranean environments
1995
Martiniello, P. (Istituto Sperimentale per le Colture Foraggere, Foggia (Italy)) | Riccioni, L. | Porta-Puglia, A.
In field experiments the presence of fungi on seeds and plants of berseem (Trifolium alexandrinum L.), alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.), and tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea Schreb.) was investigated in a Mediterranean environment from 1989 to 1993. Fourteen cultivars of alfalfa and six of tall fescue were established and maintained on the same plots throughout the experiment, and two cultivars and 14 local populations of berseem were resown every year in approximately the same place. The levels of infection of seeds and herbage by pathogenic fungi were low and no trend towards a build-up of inoculum was observed. Some pathogenic fungi that were initially present in a high proportion of seeds in some seed stocks of berseem and tall fescue were absent or present in only small amounts in seed collected in subsequent years. Stemphylium botryosum and F. moniliforme were observed on all three forage species, the maximum level being detected in tall fescue. Saprophytic species were well represented on seed of all genotypes. No Verticillium wilt symptoms were observed on plants of alfalfa and berseem genotypes. It is concluded that Mesomediterranean environments are suitable for the production of seed of forage crops
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