Disinfection of pepper seed infected with tobacco mosaic virus

Abstract

Seed infection plays an important role in TMV epidemiology in pepper crops Pepper seed infection with that virus can be external and internal. The internal infection is the reason why some studies of the possible disinfection of pepper seed, infected with TMV, showed different degree of efficiency. The investigations were done with seed of two pepper cultivars Kurtovska kapija (infection 49%, germination 94%), and Somborka (infection 66%, germination 95%). In order to obtain more reliable methods of disinfection, infected pepper seed was soaked into 5,10,15 and 20% concentration of trisodium phosphate solution during 1 to 14 days at 25°C and 10, 20 and 30% concentration of sodium hypohlorite solution for two hours at 25, 35 and 45°C. Sodium hypohlorite treatments were not effective in virus elimination. Besides, they reduced germination of treated seed. Trisodium phosphate has already significantly decreased seed infection at a low concentration of 5% after a few days of treatment, while the virus has been completely eliminated at higher concentrations (20%) after ten days with seed of Kurtovska kapija and 12 days with seed of Somborka. Applied treatments of trisodium phosphate did not affect the germination of treated seed, so for disinfection of pepper seed. Therefore, trisodium phosphate in concentration of 15-20% is recommended for pepper seed disinfection. That disinfection should be done at the temperature of 25°C.

Za dezinfekciju semena paprike zaraženog virusom mozaika duvana u visokom procentu, primenjeni su trinatrijum-fosfat i natrijum-hipohlorit. Primenom natrijum-hipohlorita (30% rastvor, dva časa na 45" C) značajno je smanjena kako zaraženost, tako i klijavost tretiranog semena. Rastvor trinatrijum-fosfata koncentracije 20%, posle 10 dana u potpunosti dezinfikuje zaraženo seme sorte kurtovska kapija, dok je za dezinfekciju semena sorte somborka potrebno potapanje u 15% rastvor u trajanju od 12 dana.