Ecological and in vitro studies on the soil mycoflora of mango orchards.
Dube V. P., Charaya M. U., Modi P.
Author Affiliation: Department of Botany, M.M. Post-graduate College, Modinagar 201 204, India.
Proceedings of the Indian Academy of Sciences, B 89 : 151-160
Abstract : A study of the soil mycoflora of mango orchards over a 10 month period revealed a significant correlation between soil moisture and fungal populations. On the other hand, soil reaction, organic matter, soil temperature and conductivity showed no significant correlation with fungal population. Marked variations in the fungal flora from month to month were observed. Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus niger and Cladosporium herbarum showed the capacity to decompose mango leaves in vitro. Small concentrations of mango leaf powder had a stimulating effect on the mycelial growth as well as sporulation of these species. These factors perhaps contribute to the dominance of the three fungal species in mango orchards.