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Inability of Storage Fungi to Invade Pea Embryos: Evidence Against Phytoalexin Involvement. F. L. Pfleger, Research Plant Pathologist, Agricultural Research Service, U. S. Department of Agriculture, Cornell University, New York State Agricultural Experiment Station, Geneva 14456, Present address of senior author: Department of Plant Pathology, University of Minnesota, St. Paul 55108; G. E. Harman, Assistant Professor, Department of Seed Investigations, Cornell University, New York State Agricultural Experiment Station, Geneva 14456. Phytopathology 65:642-643. DOI: 10.1094/Phyto-65-642.

Storage fungi seldom invade embryos of pea seeds. Dry seeds (9 or 20% moisture content) noninfected or infected with Aspergillus ruber contained no phytoalexins or other detectable fungal growth inhibitors. Pisatin, however, was isolated from imbibed cotyledons challenged or unchallenged with Alternaria alternata. Thus, while imbibed pea seeds can produce measurable quantities of pisatin, the observed resistance of dry pea embryos to Aspergillus ruber invasion cannot be explained by the phytoalexin hypothesis.