Fungal and bacterial infections of flax seeds

Abstract
Relevance. The pathogenic complex of seed infection causes large crop losses and reduced quality characteristics of flax products. The purpose of the research is to identify the species composition of pathogens that pose a threat to the crop crop by their harmfulness or are potentially dangerous.Methods. The object of research was the seeds of 21 flax varieties included in the State Register of Breeding Achievements of the Russian Federation for 2015–2021. The research was carried out at the All-Russian Flax Research Institute, as well as at the Laboratory of Breeding Technologies of the Federal Research Center for Bast Crops in 2015–2021 using modern mycological and phytopathological methods, as well as VNIIL techniques.Results. Analysis of the phytosanitary condition of the seed material of 21 flax varieties for 6 years (2015–2021) revealed a high degree of infection of seeds with parasitic and saprophytic infections, including 17 species of fungi and 3 species of bacteria. The saprophytic complex was mainly represented by species of the genera Alternaria sp., Penicillium sp., Aspergillus sp., Mucor sp., Rhizopus sp., Trichothecium roseum, Trichoderma lignorum, etc. The lowest infectious load on flax seeds was noted in the Kostroma region (0–13.0%) and in the Kuban (5.0–19.8%). The following varieties had group resistance to seed infections of fusarium, anthracnose and aureobasidiosis: Diplomat, Caesar, Alexandrite, Alexim, Tonus, Nadezhda. The minimal infectious load of pathogenic microflora from the entire set of varieties was noted on the Tverskoy variety (14.7%).