Systemic Infection of Sorghum by Acremonium strictum and Its Transmission Through Seed. R. Bandyopadhyay, Plant Pathologist, Cereals Program, International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), Patancheru P.O., Andhra Pradesh 502 324, India. L. K. Mughogho, and M. V. Satyanarayana. Principal Plant Pathologist, and Research Associate, Cereals Program, International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), Patancheru P.O., Andhra Pradesh 502 324, India. Plant Dis. 71:647-650. Accepted for publication 9 December 1986. Copyright 1987 The American Phytopathological Society. DOI: 10.1094/PD-71-0647.

The fungus Acremonium strictum was isolated from stems of wilted sorghum plants collected from Pantnagar, Uttar Pradesh, India, and its pathogenicity was established in the greenhouse. Of the several inoculation methods examined, drenching soil in pots containing 10-day-old plants of the susceptible cultivar IS 18442 with a conidial suspension of the pathogen resulted in more than 70% disease incidence. Disease symptoms in the greenhouse were similar to those in the field. Grains from diseased plants were small and shrunken with reduced weight, germination, and seedling vigor. A. strictum was isolated from all parts of infected plants, from roots to grains, indicating the systemic colonization of the host. Infected seeds produced diseased plants when sown in autoclaved soil.

Keyword(s): inoculation technique, Sorghum bicolor.