Laser Biospeckle Technique for Evaluating Biotic Stress on Seed Germination

Abstract

To assess the effect of biotic stress on the germination capability of seeds, laser biospeckle technique was used. Soybean seeds were artificially inoculated by Colletotrichum truncatum fungal spores and irradiated by laser light. Backscattered light from the seed was recorded in the form of speckle patterns and analyzed using subtraction average method of image analysis. It was found that the laser biospeckle technique exhibits strong potential for testing the pathogenicity of various fungi to various germplasm so that the resistivity of the germplasm towards the fungal pathogen can be estimated.