To evaluate the viability of water restriction technique in the detection of the fungi Alternaria dauci and A. radicina in carrot seeds by blotter test, the solutes mannitol, NaCl and mannitol + NaCl were used to adjust water potentials of -0.4; -0.6; -0.8; -1.0 and 1.2 MPa. Initially, mycelial growth index (MGI) of the two fungi was evaluated on PDA medium at modified water potential. Seeds were incubated on culture medium under modified water potential, in order to evaluate the germination speed index (GSI) and root length. In the last step, incidence and inoculum intensities of the pathogens (PSCP) on the seeds were evaluated by the blotter test with osmotic compounds. Water restriction technique showed to be beneficial to A. dauci MGI. Seed germination in osmotic modified substrate was reduced up to 100%. On the basis of incidence and PSCP, it was verified that water restriction induced by NaCl and/or by the mixture mannitol + NaCl provided indexes that were higher or close to those obtained in the standard blotter test, demonstrating the viability of the water restriction technique for the detection of A. dauci and A. radicina.
Blotter test; seed pathology; germination; water potential
