FUNGI ASSOCIATED WITH SORGHUM SEEDS by V. S. VER~IA 1) & ABRAR M. KHAN Department o~ Botany, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh, India. (15.1.1965) A large number of plant parasitic as well as saprophytic organisms have long been known to be transmitted through the seeds. Fungus flora is by far the most important which is disseminated with the seeds of cultivated as well as natural plants. These fungi and bac- teria may be present on the surface in an actively growing form or as thick-walled resting mycelium, chlamydospores, resting spores or as dormant mycelium within the seed itself. Some of the reported cases of surface borne pathogens on the seed are Sorghum Smut (Sphacelotheca sorghi), Bunt of wheat. A number of fungi are known to be carried within the true seeds, e.g., An- thracnose of wheat (Colletotrichum cereale), Loose smut of wheat and barley etc. Besides this Anthracnose of cotton and beans, Helminthosporiose of Rice, Red Rot and Smut of Sugarcane are also seed transmitted. Such diseases are known as seed borne diseases and are responsible for serious economic losses. These fungi cannot be said to belong to any particular class or group. Many of the seed borne pathogens are virulent parasites with their existence closely linked to that of the seed plant, some are saprophytic but behave as parasites under certain conditions; others appear to exert no particular influence one way or the other while a few must be regarded as beneficial. Among cultivated crops, certain of these fungi cause destructive diseases, as for instance seedling blight, damping off etc. and reduce the emergence and germination of seedlings and in turn yield of crop is reduced. Seed Certification is the most important part of Plant Quarantines, where seeds are tested for external and internal fungi and only those seeds are imported which are free from disease. Seed testing assumes all the greater importance in the present context of our country's food situation as it helps in building up improved seed stocks, the use of which is one of the recommended methods for i) Present address: Mycology & Plant Pathology Division, Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi-12. India.