Soybean seed diseases

Abstract

Numerous phytopathogenic microorganisms cause soybean seed diseases which negatively affect seed yield and quality. In turn, seed serves as a vehicle to transmit parasites from year to year and from location to location. Phytopathogenic fungi are most numerous and most harmful agents of soybean seed diseases. Seed parasites are present on soybeans in Serbia too, but the intensity of their occurrence is typically low. Intensive disease attacks and large damage occur only in some years. The most frequent disease is downy mildew caused by Peronospora manshurica. Direct damage to soybean seed is insignificant, but use of infected seed causes the occurrence of systemically infected plants resulting in secondary leaf infections. Parasites from the genus Diaporthe/Phomopsis (P. longicolla, P. sojae, D. Phaseolorum var. caulivora) gain increasing importance. They cause seed rot and latent infections. Continued periods of high air humidity and temperature at the time of soybean maturation favor the outbreak and spread of seed rot symptoms. Intensive attacks of purple seed stain (Cercospora kikuchii) and anthracnose (Colletotrichum spp) occur periodically in our country. Correct cultivation practices such as the strict adherence to crop rotation, use of less susceptible or resistant varieties in infection-prone regions, use of healthy seed, removal of harvest residues, etc. are typically recommended for control of soybean seed diseases. Chemical measures of disease control are not common. They are used on certain occasions, mostly in seed crops. Such crops are typically treated at the stages of seed forming and filling.

Daje se kraći pregled najznačajnijih parazita semena soje u Srbiji. Obrađena je njihova rasprostranjenost, ekonomski značaj, simptomi, biološke i epidemiološke karakteristike, kao i mogućnosti suzbijanja. Nabrojane su i ostale parazitne gljive od manjeg ekonomskog značaja, koje mogu parazitirati seme soje ili se njime prenositi.