PREVALENCE OF BENEFICIAL FUNGAL SPECIES IN AGRICULTURAL AND BARREN LAND SOIL AND THEIR ROLE IN PLANTS GROWTH PROMOTION

Life Sciences

In current study, soil samples were analyzed for the diversity of fungal species from agricultural and barren lands. The total fungal load was up to 2.57× 104 CFU/g dwt in agricultural and 2.11× 104 CFU/g dwt in barren land soils. The isolated fungal species from both types of the soils were successfully identified and found to belong from the division: ascomycota, deuteromycota and zygomycota. Results revealed, total seven fungal species namely Aspergillus niger, A. flavus, A. terreus, A. nidulence, Curvularia sp., Alternaria sp. and Mucor sp. were isolated from agricultural soils and total five fungal species (Aspergillus niger, A. terreus, A. nidulence, Curvularia sp. and Alternaria sp.) were detected from barren land. Obtained predominant fungal species were Aspergillus flavus (32.72%), Aspergillus niger (17.33%) from agricultural soil and only Aspergillus terreus (61.47%) from barren land soil. Further, these fungal species (A. niger, A. flavus, A. terreus, Trichoderma sp. and mixture of all four fungus) were tested for the growth and development of two plant species: Triticum aestivum L. and Vigna mungo (L.) Hepper. In all treatments, fungal spores were mixed (105spores/g) in the sterilized soil samples. By the pot experiments, best result was recorded in the treatment of A. terreus, it was very effective in enhancing the total fresh weight of shoot and root of Vigna mungo in comparison to positive control (agricultural land soil without sterilization) whereas in case of Triticum aestivum maximum total fresh weight of shoot and root was observed by the treatment of A. flavus in comparison to positive control.

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