Author(s):

Chandini KC and Rajeshwari N

Abstract:
Soil fungi are the important part of the terrestrial ecosystem and it plays a major role in nutrient cycle as decomposer. The diversity of soil fungi indicates the good or defective condition of the soil health. In the present work we aimed to study the isolation of fungi in unexplored forest soils in terms of percent occurrence and frequency and its relationship with physicochemical properties in scrub jungle with patches of moist deciduous forest of Mattavara forest, Chikkamagalur district, Karnataka which is situated eight km away from Chikkamagaluru. The study was conducted from Jan 2013 - Dec 2013. For the present study soil samples were collected from three different blocks of Mattavara forest once in a month. Total thirty six samples were collected randomly from 0-15 cm depth after removing the surface soil, from different sites of the forest for the isolation of fungi. Serial dilution methodology and PDA media was used for isolation. About eighty two sps belongs to thirty two genera were identified by using relevant literature. Out of these 22 genera and 58sps belongs to Deuteromycotina, 4 genera and nine sps belongs to Zygomycotina, 3genera and five sps of Oomycotina, three genera and nine sps of Ascomycotina and NSF. Among them Penicillium and Aspergilluare the dominant sps followed by Chaetomium, Trichoderma, Fusarium, Absidia, Cladosporium, Phoma, Acremonium, Achyla, Alternaria. The highest percent occurrence showed by Phomafemeti (83.33%), and lowest percent occurrence showed by Myrothecium sps (1.92%). The maximum fungal frequency of Fusarium oxysporum found to be 33.83%, and other sps showed minimum fungal frequency of 2.7 %. Physicochemical analysis reveals that soil is rich in mycoflora due to acidic pH of 4.63–5.05, rich organic matter and optimum moisture content. In conclusion the true purpose of presence of fungi in the nature is in recycling of dead organic matter, thus making them available for the next generation and maintained the ecological balance in the environment. The present finding is the first report on the diversity of soil fungi in Mattavara forest of Chikkamagaluru, Karnataka one of the biodiversity hot spot of Western Ghats.

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