Primary screening, Characterization and Seasonal variations of Aspergillus and Penicillium species in the Black cotton soils (Vertisols) of Salur Mandal, Viziyanagaram District, Andhra Pradesh, India

Fungi are an important component of the soil microbiota typically constituting more of the soil biomass than bacteria, depending on soil depth and nutrient conditions. This study deals with the primary screening, characterization and seasonal variations of mycoflora, isolated from twelve soil samples. The soil samples were collected from agricultural fields of five different locations at Salur Mandal during three seasons such as Kharif, Rabi and summer respectively. Dilution plate technique was used to isolate soil fungi from various soil samples. Fungal isolates were screened on different culture media namely Potato Dextrose Agar, Czapek , s Dox Agar, and Sabouraud’s Dextrose Agar supplemented with 1% Streptomycin. Fungal colonies were counted and screened for the occurrence of different fungal species along with Aspergillus and Penicillium presented in soil samples. Identification of the soil isolates were made with help of the relevant literature and standard manuals of soil fungi. Mycoflora including Aspergillus (12 species), Penicillium (6species), Trichoderma (3 species), Cunninghamella (2 species), Curvularia (2 species), Fusarium (2 species), Mucor (2 species) and Rhizopus (1 species) were identified with the help of taxonomic keys. Among the isolates the genera Aspergillus and Penicillium were dominant due to their sporulation ability. The periodicity of occurrence of each species was calculated by using data analysis.