| Two formulations of the endophytic fungus, Clonostachys rosea (EndoFineRTM and EV1A), were evaluated as seed treatments for promoting growth and controlling Fusarium seedling blight of wheat in a growth room. Roots were colonized in less than two weeks after seed was treated with 1.0 g/kg of EndoFineRTM. After 3 months of storage, survival of C. rosea spores on the treated seeds was greater for EndoFineRTM than for the EV1A formulation, and decreased with increasing storage temperature. Effects of the formulations on growth parameters of the wheat (% emergence, seedling stand, fresh mass of seedlings), and severity of seedling blight caused by Fusarium graminearum, were estimated. Both treatments partially protected the seedlings against blight, and significantly increased emergence, whether the treated seeds were stored at 4 or 15°C for up to 3 months. The treatments had no effect on the growth parameters in the absence of F. graminearum . |
