Influence on oilseeds and legume seed physiology under insect pest and pathogenic infestation

Abstract

Seed quality is the most important parameter for a successful harvest. The most detrimental factor is seed health refers to the presence or absence of any diseases or insects in the seed lot. Rapid deterioration in seed quality occurs due to insects and pathogens both in standing crop as well as storage causing reduction in viability and vigourness. The infestation induced deterioration in quality can be related with various physiological process changes at cellular, metabolic and biochemical level viz., chromosomal aberrations, impairment of DNA, erroneous RNA synthesis, protein synthesis breakdown, lipid peroxidation, membrane disruption and free radical damage, that causes several detrimental effects on seed. Seed deteoriation is undesirable for crop production.