Detection of Alternaria spp. in Carrot Seeds and Effect of the Fungi on Seed Germination and Seedling Growth of Carrot

Five seed samples of carrot were tested to detect Alternaria spp. by blotter method. A. alternata and A. radicina were detected from all the seed samples as high as $25.8-70.5\%$ and $37.5-63.5\%$, respectively. A. dauci was detected from four seed samples as low as $0.5-7.5\%$. The three Alternaria spp. were detected from the pericarp and the seed coat and endosperm of the carrot seeds but not from the embryo by component plating test. A. alternata and A. radicina were much more detected from the pericarp than the seed coat and endosperm. A. dauci was detected from the pericarp and the seed coat and endosperm at similar rate. The seed sample which was most severely infected with A. radicina showed the lowest rate of germination in the test on top of paper (TP). In the TP test, differences in total infection rate of A. radicina and A. dauci of the seed samples were very closely correlated with those in incidence of seedling rot on the seed samples. However, there was no correlation between infection rate of A. alternata and rate of germination or seedling rot of the seed samples. Soil test for seedling growth revealed that there was no correlation between differences in total infection rate of A. radicina and A. dauci and those in rate of normal seedlings of the seed samples.