<p>Seed rot and seedling blight of maize (<i>Zea mays</i> L.) caused by soil- and seed-borne fungi affects germination and early seedling establishment. In this study, the pathogenicity of <i>Fusarium verticillioides</i>, <i>Drechslera maydis</i>, <i>Rhizoctonia solani</i>, <i>Macrophomina phaseolina</i> and their consortium was evaluated at four inoculum levels (1 × 10⁴, 5 × 10⁴, 1 × 10⁵ and 5 × 10⁵ spores/ml) using a seed dip inoculation technique. Germination, seedling survival and seedling blight severity were recorded at 0, 3 and 7 days after seed inoculation (DASI). Among the pathogens, <i>F. verticillioides</i> was the most virulent, reducing germination to 37.2% and seedling survival to 25% with maximum seedling blight severity of 90% at the highest inoculum level (7DASI). <i>Rhizoctonia solani</i> and <i>M. phaseolina</i> also caused severe disease, reducing germination to 64.2% and 64.4% and seedling survival to 30% and 35%, with maximum blight severity of 84% and 82%, respectively, while the pathogen consortium resulted in 82% seedling blight severity. In contrast, <i>D. maydis</i> showed comparatively lower pathogenicity. Disease severity increased with increasing inoculum concentration and incubation period, indicating that the seed dip inoculation method provides a reliable approach for evaluating pathogenic variability and determining inoculum thresholds for maize seedling blight pathogens.</p>