Abstract

An experiment was conducted at Samaru, Zaria, Nigeria to determine the type of seed borne fungal pathogens associated with farmer-saved sorghum seeds. The sorghum seeds were obtained from sorghum farmers in Samaru and Bomo villages, both in Sabon Gari Local Government Area of Kaduna State. Half of the each sample was washed in distilled water, while the second half was not. Seven fungal genera were identified to be growing on the seed samples. These were Helminthosporium sp, Aspergillus sp, Fusarium sp, Rhizoctonia sp, Penicillium sp, Sclerotium sp, and Curvularia sp. There was also another fungus, whose identity is yet to be determined. All the seven fungi occurred in the unwashed seed sub-samples, whereas only five of the seven occurred in the sub-samples that were washed with distilled water. 

Key words: Seed-borne pathogens, sorghum, storage, farmer-saved seeds.