Isolation and evaluation of fruit and seed mycoflora of bottle gourd ( Lagenaria siceraria (Molina) Standl.)

摘要

Cucurbits include the major vegetables group cultivated widely in India during summer and rainy seasons. Out of different cucurbitaceous crops grown, bottle gourd ( Lagenaria siceraria ) occupies a highest place in human diet but prevalence of various mycoflora acts as a major limiting factor in deteriorating the crop qualitatively as well as quantitatively. In the present study, mycoflora associated with seeds and fruits of bottle gourd was isolated using different methods and characterized on the basis of colony colour, type of spore, spore size and spore shape. The identity was further confirmed through microbial identification services of CABI (Centre for Agriculture and Biosciences International). The isolated fungal flora was enumerated on the basis of per cent isolation frequency of individual mycoflora. A total of fourteen fungal species belonging to eight genera were isolated with prevalence of Fusarium proliferatum as external as well as internal seed borne and Talaromyces pinophilus as external seed borne mycoflora. Amongst three methods used for seed mycoflora isolation, moist blotter paper method was found to be the best followed by deep freezing and agar plate methods, respectively.