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Mucorales (Zygomycetes) are among the most ancient groups of fungi. Although they are fast growing in culture but preservation of these cultures is rather sensitive as compared to other filamentous fungi. First Fungal Culture Bank of Pakistan maintained a large number of isolates of this group. Recently viability of members of mucorales was assessed that were isolated and purified from a variety of substrates between the years 2003-2006. Agar slants of pure cultures of these strains were preserved at 4 °C. These include seven species each of the genus Absidia and Mucor, four species of Rhizopus, two of Cunninghamella and one species belonging to genus Phycomyces. Results indicated that most of the strains lost their viability during storage period even none of the species from genus Absidia and Phycomyces survived. Therefore maintaining cultures of mucorales by this method is not recommended for their long term preservation. For long term preservation of fungal cultures, cryopreservation, lyophilization or silica gel preservation could be the alternate methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present investigation deals with the morphological and biochemical identification of rhizobacteria having plant growth promoting characteristics, with a focus on the family Papilionaceae, whose representatives are widespread in nature as leguminous crops. Eleven bacterial strains were isolated from the rhizoplane of pea (Pisum sativum L.), chickpeas (Cicer arietinum L.) and clover (Trifolium pretense L.). The media used to isolate the rhizosphere bacteria were Luria Bertani (LB) agar and Nutrient agar (NA). Rhizosphere bacteria were identifiedbased on different characteristic i.e. phenotypic and biochemical characters. The isolated strains were characterized and assigned to various genera and species, such as Enterobacter aerogenes, Aureobacterium flavescens, Pseudomonas fluorescens, Kurthiasp., Acidovorax facilis, Bordetella pertussis, Corynebacterium sp., Bacillus sp., Curtobacterium albidum and Microbacterium lacticum. All identified species are given FCBP accession numbers and were stored for further use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aspergilli constitute the largest fungal group present in all types of soil and also contribute in maintaining the soil structure and fertility. Fungicides that are used to control fungal plant pathogens may also be toxic to beneficial soil fungi. The present study was conducted to assess the impact of seven broad-spectrum fungicides namely Tebuconazole, Bloom, Benedict, Epic, Primacy and Hiten on growth of five different species of Aspergillus namely A. nidulans (Eidam) Wint., A. niger Tiegh., A. terreus Thom., A. fumigatus Fresen. and A. flavus Link. The results of the current study presented a comprehensive overview of the negative effects of fungicides on growth of commonly found soil Aspergilli. With the increasing concentration of all the tested fungicides from 0 to recommended dose (R), a gradual reduction in growth of all the fungal species was observed. Hiten and Epic were most effective in controlling the growth of Aspergillus spp. by causing complete growth arrest at only 0.05R. Bloom ceased the growth at one fourth of the recommended dose (0.25R). No growth of the A. niger, A. terreus, A. fumigatus and A. flavus was observed at 0.75R and that of the A. nidulans at recommended dose of Tebuconazole. In case of Benedict, A. nidulans and A. terreus were sensitive to 0.75R and A. niger, A. fumigatus and A. flavus to the recommended dose of the fungicide. Fungal Strains showed maximum resistance against Wisdom and Primacy as they continue to grow even at recommended doses of these fungicides. Thus the application of fungicides may cause alteration in soil microbial community structures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Canola (Brassica napus L.) is a major edible oil producing crop belongs to family Brassicaceae. Species of genus Alternaria have always been an increasing threat to Brassicaceae crops as pathogen of black spot diseases in plants. The present study was conducted to analyze the content of chlorophyll, protein and proline along with activities of peroxidase and catalase in canola plants infected with Alternaria destruens. Comparative analysis of physiology as well as biochemistry of diseased and healthy plants demonstrated that metabolism of disease plants was affected to a great extent. Content of chlorophyll, protein and proline was significantly declined by 60, 40 and 50%, respectively in diseased leaves as compared to healthy leaves. Activity of catalase was significantly increased and that of peroxidase was non-significantly different in diseased leaves in comparison to healthy ones. It was concluded that disturbed physiology and biochemistry of disease plants could lead to a disaster for the yield of this major oil producing crop. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Zingiber officinale L. is a common condiment for various foods and a long history of important traditional Medicine herb for the treatment of ailments and body disorders. Soil microorganisms are very important as almost every chemical transformation taking place in soil involves active contributions from soil microorganisms. In contrast, other soil microorganisms are pathogenic to plants and may cause considerable damage to crops. Large numbers of pathogenic microorganisms are routinely found in the soil and many can infect the plant through the roots. Through the current study describes the ginger rhizome associated soilborn bacterial strains. Rhizosphere bacteria were isolated from soil around the root zones of ginger fields. This study reports results concerning the isolation and identification of bacteria on the morphological basis and biochemical analysis. Ten species of bacteria belonging to eight different genera viz., Acidovorax temperans, Arthrobacter sp., Burkholderia pseudomallei, B. cepacia , Aeromonas hydrophila, A. veronii, Cupria-viridis sp., Bacillus sp., Flavobacterium odoratum, Oscillospira sp. were isolated and processed for identification by their enzymatic activity and carbohydrates utilization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fungal spot disease is an emerging problem of canola, a major edible oil producing crop in Pakistan. During present study, Alternaria sp. was isolated and identified from the different infected tissues of diseased plant. Eighteen different commercially available fungicides; Defeater, Defeater Plus, Bloom, Wisdom, Trifort, Definite, Cordate, Flare, Benedict, Triton, Hiten, Pyranil, Flumax, Tebuconazole, Epic, Primacy, Vegard and Picoxystrobin were screened for their efficacy in controlling the identified pathogen. Maximum reduction of 90% in fungal growth was obtained by Wisdom, Benedict and Tebucanazole followed by Bloom, Flare and Flumax with 75-81% growth inhibition. Afterward by Epic, Defeater plus, Primacy and Picoxystrobin with upto 55 % fungal growth inhibition. Remaining fungicides caused 11-50% restricted fungal growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

First Fungal Culture Bank of Pakistan (FCBP) has a collection of 59 isolates of Alternaria alternata that were isolated from different substrates collected from various localities of Pakistan. These isolates include plant pathogenic as well as saprophytic strains of A. alternata. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]