Seed samples of soybean having 25-35 per cent seed infection were treated with different fungicides and were tested for presence of seed mycoflora, germination and vigour index. Treated sees yielded fewer fungi compared to un treated seeds. High mycofloral load was observed in treated seeds with mancozeb (11.5 %), metalaxyl MZ (9.5%) and thiophanate methyl (8.5%) when treated at concentration of 2g per kg seeds. Captan, Tebuconazole and tricyclozole completely inhibited mycofloral growth at 4g per kg seeds. Highest seed germination was observed with thiram and carbendazim ie. 88 %. It was found in pot culture study under green house conditions, highest shoot length was recorded with thiram (35.58 cm) and tricyclozole (35.06 cm) at 2g per kg seeds. Similarly ziram (15.48 cm) resulted significantly superior root elongation compared to other treatments. Tricyclozole (14.55 cm), metalaxyl MZ (14.36 cm) and carbendazim (13.55 cm) were on par in root elongation. In biomass study of seedlings tricyclozole (1333.33 mg) gave significantly highest dry weight. Highest vigour index was recorded in thiram (4307.93) followed by tricyclozole (3978) at concentration of 2g per kg seeds. All systemic and non-systemic fungicidal treatments generally increased seed germination, shoot and root length, bio mass and vigour index except mancozeb. The efficacy of five systemic and four nonsystemic seed dressing fungicides were tested in different concentrations against Macrophomina Phaseolina and Fusarium oxysporum, two pathogens are commonly associated with soybean seeds, especially on seedcoat, providing initial inoculums to disease development under field conditions.
The in vitro evaluation of fungicides indicated that the systemic fungicides viz carbendazim, tebuconazole and metalaxyl MZ completely (100%) inhibited the radial mycelial growth of M. phascolina and found significantly superior over other treatments. Among the non systemic fungicides mancozeb and captan completely inhibited the growth in all the concentrations tested against M phascolina. For the control of Fusarium oxysporum, Tebuconazole was found very effective with 100% growth inhibition followed by carbendazim. Non-systemic fungicide captan (88.06%) gave maximum growth inhibition of F. oxysporum and was significantly superior over other treatments. Captan at (0.3%) concentration gave high growth inhibition (88.84%). Thus systemic fungicides as a seed dressers play a vital role in reducing soybean seed borne infection by M phascolina and F. oxysporum, apart from improving seed qualities like germination, low seed mycoflora and high vigour index.