Fungi associated with stored sorghum grains and their effects on grain quality

Thirty seven seed samples of three sorghum cultivars (Dabar, Dwarf white Maylo and Gadam hamam) from different ecological zones in central Sudan Gezira were examined by the blotter method for infection by fungal pathogens. The fungal species, Aspergillus, Fusarium, Alternaria, Curvularia and Penicillium were more frequently isolated from the seeds with incidence ranging between 29, 2, 3, 7 and 0.7 %, respectively. Contamination of seeds by the different fungi ranged between 26 and 79% in the different ecological zones. Generally, all fungi resulted in reduction of the starch contents and increased in the total soluble sugars with the exception of A. niger that produced reduction in the total soluble sugars of all sorghum cultivars. Thirty seven seed samples of three sorghum cultivars (Dabar, Dwarf white Maylo and Gadam hamam) from different ecological zones in central Sudan Gezira were examined by the blotter method for infection by fungal pathogens. The fungal species, Aspergillus, Fusarium, Alternaria, Curvularia and Penicillium were more frequently isolated from the seeds with incidence ranging between 29, 2, 3, 7 and 0.7 %, respectively. Contamination of seeds by the different fungi ranged between 26 and 79% in the different ecological zones. Generally, all fungi resulted in reduction of the starch contents and increased in the total soluble sugars with the exception of A. niger that produced reduction in the total soluble sugars of all sorghum cultivars.