Distribution of fungal pathogens associated with wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) cultivars collected from farmer fields and grain markets

The present study was conducted to measure the seed health using standard blotter paper and agar plate test from four different commercial wheat cultivars in rain-fed areas of Punjab, Pakistan. The results showed that wheat cultivars were infected with Fusarium sp. (35.5%), followed by Aspergillus Spp. Aspergillus niger (20.8 %) & Aspergillus flavus (26.1%) and Alternaria sp. (17.6%). Among the wheat cultivars from rainfed areas, “Hashim-08” was highly infected with the percentage of 33.6. Similarly, 28.4% infection rate was found in “Atta Habib” followed by “Pak-2013” (16.7%), Shahkar-2013 (16.6%), Chakwal-50 (5.7 %). Being a staple food of Pakistan wheat crop needs to be quarantined timely to protect the plant with seed borne pathogens which can cause huge crop loses and may become a source of inoculum of diseases. 'These findings highlight the urgent need for effective seed health management practices to mitigate yield losses and ensure wheat production sustainability in Pakistan.