Storage of fungi with rice (Oryza sativa)-PRH 10 and their influence on seed quality

Presence of fungi causing infestations deteriorates quality of husked and dehisced rice (Oryza sativa L.) seed. So, identifying storage conditions is crucial in food safety programs. Present study deals with isolation of fungi and their purification from rice to know the impact on seed storage quality. Four important fungi causing infestations viz. Aspergillus flavus, A. niger; Penicillium sp. and Fusarium sp. were isolated and characterized. Culture filtrate of fungi were studied on rice seed deterioration on the basis of seed germination percentage, root/shoot length, total carbohydrate, total protein content, alpha-amylase activity, lipoxygenase activity and storage proteins profiling by SDS-PAGE. Maximum deterioration in rice seed was observed with A. flaws spores filtrate inoculated seeds followed by A. niger Penicillium sp. and Fusarium sp., respectively. Enzyme activity of alpha-amylase and lipoxygenase were significantly increased with seed storage and their ageing.