tailieunhanh - Studies on the Rhizosphere mycoflora of mangroves

Results showed that the greatest number of fungi was isolated by serial dilution. The maximum number of species was obtained from the rhizosphere soil of A. marina, whereas the lowest number of fungi was obtained from the rhizosphere soil of A. corniculatum. | Turk J Bot 32 (2008) 97-101 © TÜB‹TAK Research Article Studies on the Rhizosphere Mycoflora of Mangroves Marium TARIQ, Shahnaz DAWAR*, Fatima S. MEHDI Department of Botany, University of Karachi, Karachi-75270 - PAKISTAN Received: Accepted: Abstract: Rhizosphere soil of mangrove plants (Avicennia marina, Rhizophora mucronata, Aegiceras corniculatum, and Ceriops tagal) was collected from coastal areas. Almost all samples showed a sandy to sandy loam texture. pH of the soil samples ranged from 7 to 10 and water content ranged from 8% to 9%. In all, 18 species of fungi belonging to 11 genera were isolated from the rhizosphere soil of all the mangrove species by direct plating method, whereas 20 fungal species belonging to 11 genera were isolated by serial dilution. Results showed that the greatest number of fungi was isolated by serial dilution. The maximum number of species was obtained from the rhizosphere soil of A. marina, whereas the lowest number of fungi was obtained from the rhizosphere soil of A. corniculatum. Key Words: Rhizosphere soil, mycoflora, mangrove plants, coastal areas Introduction The coastline of Pakistan stretches for over 590 miles, 440 miles of which belong to Baluchistan on the western coast and 150 miles to the province of Sindh on the southern coast. The Pakistan coastline can be divided into 2 distinct types, the Sindh and the Indus delta (semi arid zone), and the Baluchistan/Makran (arid zone). The coastal soil is saline, in general, and unproductive. The decay of coastal halophytic flora forms the nutrients and organic matter; however, the saline soils have very little organic carbon that can serve as an energy source for soil mycoflora (Malik et al., 1980). The concept of the rhizosphere is expressed as the zone of increased microbial activity. Qualitative as well as quantitative distribution of fungi in the rhizosphere and nonrhizosphere soil has been discussed in detail (Harley & Waid, 1955; Parkinson & .