Incidence of Black Point on Wheat Seeds in Different Location of Uttarakhand, India

Abstract

An experiment was conducted to determine the incidence of black point disease in wheat varieties with different locations caused by A. alternata fungal pathogens of wheat grain. Fresh seeds of popularly cultivated wheat varieties, preferably viz., GW 366, GW 496, Lok 1, and GW 1, were collected after harvesting season from the farmers’ fields of wheat growing areas of middle Uttarakhand viz., Sahaspur, Roorkee, Haridwar, and Dehradun. At least 50 samples were collected from each of the districts. Five primary samples were collected and mixed from the harvested seed lot to have composite samples. Working samples were prepared from composite samples by repeated halving method. The black point disease incidence might be due to the inherent boldness of the seeds. Florets remain more open in bold-seeded varieties, enhancing the chances of more seed infection during seed development. Moreover, low night temperatures during the flowering period, severe dew at the seed maturation stage, frequent and heavy crop irrigation, and excessive application of nitrogenous fertilizers may lead to a higher incidence of the black point disease. Besides, infected seeds reveal seed rot, necrosis, and shriveling. High humidity due to prolonged rainfall or heavy dew deposition during seed maturation favors the black point. As our research findings varied, GW366 is significantly the highest incidence of black point disease.