Determination of seedborne fungi in Onion and their transmission to Onion sets

Samples of onion (Allium cepa L.) seeds were obtained from seven regions in Turkey. The seed coat, embryo and endosperm were cultured, the seedborne fungi were determined and their transmission to onion sets was investigated in both sterile and field soils. Among the fungi determined,Aspergillus alutaceus Berk, and Curt.,Beauveria bassiana (Bals.) Vuill.,Cladosporium cladosporioides (Fres.) de Vries,Geotrichum sp.,Humicola fuscoatra Traaen,Trichoderma harzianum Rifai andT. pseudokoningii Rifai in onion seeds, andFusarium culmorum (W.G.Sm.) Sacc,F. graminearum Schwabe andF. sambucinum Fuckel in onion sets, were recorded for the first time.Aspergillus niger v. Tieghem was found at the highest rate in seed samples (especially in the seed coat), and in bulbs and roots of onion sets that developed from these seeds, whether in sterile or field soil.Fusarium oxysporum Schlecht was isolated at a higher rate from onion sets grown in sterile or field soil, than from seeds.F. acuminatum Ellis and Everhart,F. sambucinum, F. equiseti (Corda) Sacc. andF. graminearum were isolated only from onion sets grown in sterile soil. In dual culture tests, theseFusarium isolates were inhibited byA. niger and thus, exceptfor F. oxysporum, could not develop in agar plate. TheFusarium spp. appeared in onion-sets grown in sterile soil and were inhibited by other fungi in field soil. It was concluded that all fungi were seedborne and thatA. niger andFusarium spp., but not the other fungi, were transmitted from the seeds to onion sets.A. niger andF. oxysporum were also transmitted through the soil.