Seed and Seedling Responses of Ecotypes of Bromus, Agropyron and Medicago to Fusarium solani and F. oxysporum.

This study was carried out to evaluate seedling responses of 13 ecotypes of Medicago (3 ecotypes), Bromus (4 ecotypes) and Agropyron (6 ecotypes) to seed inoculation with spores of Fusarium solani and F. oxysporum. The ecotypes were from Iran, Russia and Kazakhstan. Seeds of each ecotype were inoculated with either of 2 levels of spores, 60 x 10⁴/ml and 30 x 10⁴/ml for F. solani and 90 x 10⁴/ ml and 45 x 10⁴/ml for F. oxysporum. Seed were grown under laboratory and greenhouse conditions and non-inoculated seed was used as control. Percent and speed of germination, length of root and shoot, and vigor index were measured, and responses of inoculated seed were compared with those of non-inoculated seed of each ecotype. There were significant differences among ecotypes for seedling characteristics due to the infection agents and concentrations. The effect of F. solani and F. oxysporum was more pronounced on speed of germination and vigor index than on germination percentage and other measured characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]