Incidence of seed borne fungi in farm saved rice seeds, quality declared seed and certified seed in Morogoro Region in Tanzania

Rice (Oryza sativa L.) is the second most important food crop after maize in Tanzania. It faces many challenges like diseases, pests and physical damages, which reduce the seed quality. This article identified microorganisms and the district where they occurred. 13 fungal species comprising of 11 pathogenic and 2 saprophytic fungi were detected and the incidence level varied among sample. Mvomero District showed the highest incidence recorded (64.5%) for sample collected from Hembeti and Dakawa/Msufini villages. In Kilombero, the fungal specie which detected highest incidence was Fusarium equiseti (31%) followed by Fusarium moniliforme (28.5%). Verticillium cinnabarinum and Curvularia inaequalis had the least incidence of 1 and 1%, respectively. The study recommends that before planting season, seeds should be tested to minimize spread of fungal species.   Key words: Pathogens, quality declared seed (QDS), farmer saved