Seed as a highly-valuable resource is preserved in collections for many
years. Although the seed is kept under optimal conditions, monitoring of
germination and the presence of fungi during seed preservation is of great
importance. Therefore the aim of this paper is to examine the seed health
status and germination of 43 onion accessions kept in the timespan for 15
years in the Institute of Field and Vegetable Crops collection. Germi?nation
of seed samples varied from 7-93%. The presence of fungi in the collection
was determined on 33 tested samples. Fungi from the genera Acremonium,
Alternaria, Aspergillus, Cladosporium, Epicoccum, Fusarium and Penicillium
were developed. The following Fusarium species identified on the seeds were
F. proliferatum, F. graminearum, F. sporotrichioides, F. solani, F.
pseudograminearum and F. equiseti. Based on factor analysis, Fusarium and
Penicillium affected germination, while the occurrence of Alternaria species
on onion seed is connected to the year of harvest.