Anthracnose, caused by Colletotrichum dematium var. truncata, is the main soybean disease that affects soybean yields. Cercospora kikuchii is the fungus that causes the purple stain disease in soybean seeds that causes severe reductions in the yield and quality of the seeds. The objective of this study was to determine the optimum period of contact of the soybean seeds with C. dematium var. truncata and C. kikuchii, for subsequent evaluation of the damage caused by the fungus on seed germination. The fungus was cultivated in PDA medium. The soybean seeds cv. MSOY 6101 were placed on Petri dishes with culture media colonized by C. dematium var. truncata for 0 (control), 4, 16, 24, 32 and 40h. The seeds of the cv. CD 208 were inoculated with C. kikuchii for the same mentioned periods, with the addition of 48 and 56h. After the respective periods of contact, they were submitted to the Blotter test, with and without superficial asepsis (sodium hipoclorite 1%, 3 minutes). After determining the optimum incubation period, other seeds were infected with the pathogen and, later, germination tests were accomplished in paper and in sand with a mixture of healthy seeds (placed on PDA medium) and inoculated seeds, resulting in lots with 0, 20, 40, 60, 80 and 100% infected seeds. The incubation time of C. dematium var truncata and C. Kikuchii, was 40 and 56 hours, respectively, and was sufficient to obtain completely infected seeds. C. Kikuchii not reduce seed germination.
anthracnose; stain purple; seed pathology
