FUNGI AS BIORESOURCEFUNGI AS BIORESOURCE

ARUN KUMARARUN KUMARFormer Principal Scientist (Pl. Pathology),Former Principal Scientist (Pl. Pathology),

Central Arid Zone Research InstituteCentral Arid Zone Research InstituteJodhpurJodhpur

Earth StarEarth Star

FUNGIFUNGI Group of simple eucaryotic (True

fungi) organisms lacking chlorophyll. Reproducing asexually and sexually

with formation of spores. Many fungi are microscopic; some

(especially their fruiting bodies) e.g. mushroom, puff-ball, are of fairly large sized.

Live either as saprophytes or as parasites of plants and animals.

SPECTRUM OF FUNGISPECTRUM OF FUNGI Largest biotic community after

insects

Fungi in India exceeds 27000 species

Kingdom Eucaryota has 4 phyla, 103 orders, 484 families and 4979 genera

CLASSPHYCOMYCETESNon-septate hyphae

Asexual repro. by zoospores or conidia

Sexual repro. by resting spores

Pythium, Albugo.

CLASSASCOMYCETESSeptate

hyphaeAsexual repro.

by conidiaSexual repro.

by ascospores in ascus

Claviceps, Erysiphe

CLASSBASIDIOMYCETESSeptate hyphae

Sexual repro. By Basidio-

-spores borne on basidium

Puccinia, Ustilago

CLASSDEUTEROMYCETESSeptate hyphaeLack sexual

repro. stageMostly asexual

forms of asco.Sexual stage

lost during evolution

Alternaria, Cercospora, Fusarium

CLASSIFICATION OF FUNGICLASSIFICATION OF FUNGI

DIV

ISIO

N

MYC

OPH

YTA

FUNGAL GENERAFUNGAL GENERA11

PHYLA WORLD INDIAMyxomycotina 450 380Mastigomycotin 308 205Zygomycotina 55 50Ascomycotina 2000 745Basidiomycotina 357 232Deuteromycotina(Fungi Imperfecti)

4100 468

Total 7270 2080

1 Between 1905 and 1995

FUNGI AS RESOURCEFUNGI AS RESOURCE Fungi constitute largely

unexploited resource Strains of fungi maintained in

culture collections In over 200 collections number

exceeds 1 lack 70 thousand Around 7 thousand species are

represented

Economic Importance of Fungi

BIOTECHNOLOGICAL APPLICATIONSBIOTECHNOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS

FOOD FOR MANFOOD FOR MAN Mushrooms grown in pastures and

forests of different geographical regions

No. of species are more than 500 Around 20 spp. are currently

exploited commercially (Agaricus, Lentinula, Tricholoma, Volvariella, Pleurotus etc. )

EDIBLE MUSHROOMS

Podaxis pistillaris

Phellorinia inquinansMorchella sp.

Pleurotus sajor-caju

FERMENTED FOODSTUFFS / DRINKSFERMENTED FOODSTUFFS / DRINKS In Asia many

fermented foodstuffs and drinks are based on fungi

This include species of Aspergillus, Monascus, Mucor and Rhizopus

Role of certain Penicillium spp.

(P. camembertii and P. roquefortii) is important in cheese production

Fusarium-based food materials for human consumption in UK (Fusarium venenatum has a high protein content. One of its strains is used commercially for the production of single cell mycoprotein)

Other genera of potentially useful spp. include Chaetomium, Paecilomyces and Trichoderma

Quorn fillets - fried, defrosted and frozen

Production of single-cell protein (SCP) for use in human foods and feeds

Fusarium-based food materials for human consumption in UK

Other genera of potentially useful spp. include Chaetomium, Paecilomyces and Trichoderma

Strain selection is important as these genera produce harmful mycotoxins

RICH SOURCE OF METABOLITESRICH SOURCE OF METABOLITESOver 3000 spp. have been

characterizedAround 1600 of these have

antibiotic or anti-tumour properties

Cephalosporins and penicillins are antibiotics of vital importance

Anti-fungal Griseofulvin (Penicillium griseofulvum )

Ergot alkaloids (Claviceps purpurea)

Plant growth hormones (gibberellins, from Fusarium moniliforme)

Cattle growth stimulator (zearalenone, from F. graminearum)

IMPORTANT PRODUCTSIMPORTANT PRODUCTS

BIOCONTROL OF INSECTSBIOCONTROL OF INSECTSLooking to harmful effects of agricultural

pesticides certain species of fungi are being used as myco- insecticides (Deuteromycotina )

FUNGUS INSECTBeauveria bassiana   Leaf-and plant hoppers,

stem borers, leaf-folders, rice bugs, and black

bugs

Metarhizium anisopliae Locust and grasshoppers

                                                                                 

a).Produces creamish-white conidia alternately on an extending tip of a conidiophore

b).Produces greenish- conidia in chains from phialides

Beauveria bassiana

Metarhizium anisopliae

                                                                                                         

Sporulation of Beauveria on green cockchafer beetle

Metarhizium spores on locust               

Beauveria bassiana on leaf hopper h

Metarhizium anisopliae on bug and beetle beetles

INSECT BIOCONTROLINSECT BIOCONTROL

Beauveria bassiana kills the pest. Fungal spores attach to the insect’s skin (cuticle), germinate sending out hyphae that penetrate the insect’s body and proliferate. It may take 3-5 days for insects to die

High humidity and free water enhance activity of the conidia and the subsequent infection of the insect

Fungal spores infect best in cool to moderate temperatures

Applications should be made during the early growth stages of the insect, speed of kill depends on number of spores contacting the insect, insect age, susceptibility and environmental conditions

MECHANISM

Beauveria spp. are commonly used against thrips, whiteflies, aphids, caterpillars, weevils, grasshoppers, ants, Colorado potato beetle, and mealy bugs

Emulsifiable suspension formulation showed better ability to withstand rain than the comparable wettable powder

Applied only when insect is seen on the plant

Not applied as a preventative spray since the residue may be gone in a few days

Multiple applications may be required to provide adequate control

B. bassiana is more effective on younger stages of the insect than on older stages (e.g. large larvae or adults)

Antibiotic is a chemical, effective at very low concentration, created as part of the life process of one organism, which can kill or stop the growth of a disease-causing microbe i.e. a germ or a pathogen.

ANTIBIOTICSANTIBIOTICS

Penicillin: the first miracle drug

In 1928 discovered penicillin noticing a mold inhibiting

bacterial growth. Got Nobel Prize in 1945 with Dr(s)

Chain and FloreySir Alexander Fleming

PenicillinPenicillium notatum Penicillium notatum colony

INDUSTRIAL CHEMICALSCHEMICAL

Aspergillus niger Citric and gluconic acid

Eremothecium ashbyii Vitamins - riboflavin Aureobasidium pullulans

Polysaccharides- pullulan

Rhizomucor pusillusPenicillium roquefortiiAspergillus oryzae

Enzymes - Rennin LipaseProtease

Trichoderma viride Cellulase

FUNGUS

BIOCONTROL OF PLANT DISEASESBIOCONTROL OF PLANT DISEASES

FUNGUS PLANT DISEASETrichoderma harzianum Leaf blights, wilts, root

rot

T. koningii T. pseudokoningii

Foot rot, Collar rotRoot and Butt rot in tree

T. viride Die-back or anthracnose, LCD of Chilli

Gliocladium virens DM of pearl millet, cumin wilt

Trichoderma species

SEED TREATMENT OF GROUND NUT BY TRICHODERMA

SOME CASE STUDIES OF BIOCONTROL OF PLANT DISEASES

• Rajasthan is the 6th largest producer in India

• Jodhpur region produces 42.7% red chilli on 20,000 ha of land

• Jodhpur district alone contributes 20% of total production of red chilli in the State

• Popular chilli cvs: Mathania Red, Mehsana, Haripur-Raipur and Mandoria

BACKDROPBACKDROP

• Large and fleshy fruits, mild pungency and brilliant red colour with rich spicy flavour

• Susceptible to diseases like LCD and die-back or ripe fruit rot

Green Fruit Yield of chilliGreen Fruit Yield of chilli

YearYear Fruit Yield (KgFruit Yield (Kg-ha-ha))

Before 1990 600

1991 - 2004 140

DISEASES OF CHILLIDISEASES OF CHILLI• Leaf curl disease (Begomovirus

ChiLCuV, after Senanayake et al. 2007. Plant Pathology 56, 343).

• Die-back (Colletotrichum capsici (Syd.) Butler & Bisby)

• Root Knot nematodes (Medoidogyne incognita )

DISEASES OF CHILLI CAUSED BY FUNGI

DIE-BACK

RIPE FRUIT ROT

ANTHRACNOSE

LEAF CURL OF CHILLI (LCD)

Disease is caused by Begomovirus (ChiLCuV)

The disease is transmitted by insect vectors such as

whitefly and thrips

• Curling of upper leaves with shortened internodes

• Severely infected plants produce clusters of reduced sized leaves with fewer flowers and fruits

• Small sized fruits are produced with deformed seeds Small sized fruits

TREATMENT (T 1)Treated chilli seeds with RCM (1:1)

for 24 hrs

Dried in shade

Treated these seeds with Trichoderma viride ( @ 6g-kg seed)

Nursery soil treated with T. viride

(@ 10g2) after mixing with FYM

Seed sowing in nursery

45 DAS roots of plant saplings were dipped in RCM (15% or 1:6) for 20 min. before transplanting

20 DAS

RCM (15%) sprayed on the transplanted plants

FARMER’S PRACTICE(Control)

Most of these practices are chemical sprays with or without chemical seed treatment

Treatment* Incidence (%) Protection over FP (control)

T-1 19.4 48.4

FP (Control) 37.6 ---

On-farm Management of LCD (Pooled data of 2000-’04)

*T-1: Seed treatment with RCM (1:1) for 24 hrs and T. viride (0.6%). Root dip for 10 min. in RCM (15%). Application of T. viride (10 g-m2) with FYM, and RCM (15%) spray 20 days after transplantation in field.FP: Variety of practices that vary from farmer to farmer. Most of these are non-organic, without any seed treatment.

Average Yield Parameters of ChilliAverage Yield Parameters of ChilliTreatment*

 

Plant height (cm)

Root length(cm)

No. of fruits plant-1

(g)

Fruit size(cm)

Fruit wt. plant-1

(g)

Yieldplot-1

Kg-1

  

LengthLength WidthWidth

T 1T 1 66.3 20.2 66.4 10.4 4.5 306.2 3.32#

T 2T 2 57.5 13.9 40.1 9.2 3.9 219.4 2.72

*T1. *T1. Seed treatment with RCM (50% dilution with water for 24 h) and Trichoderma viride (0.6%) with soil treatment with T. viride (10g m-2 ) mixed with FYM T2. Farmer’s Practice # more than 0.5 kg ha-1 increase

TC

ON-FARM LCD MANAGEMENT IN CHILLION-FARM LCD MANAGEMENT IN CHILLI

Treatment

Farmer’s Practice

Particulars Farmers’ Practice(T 2)

Raw Cow’s Milk + T. viride treatment (T1)

CostSeed 375.00 (1.49)* 375.00 (1.52)FYM 1990.74 (7.92) 1990.74 (8.06)Fertilizer 1226.85 (4.88) 1171.71 (4.74)Pesticides 1157.41 (4.61) 281.48 (1.14)Irrigation 14814.26 (58.97) 14880.26 (60.26)Machinery 2078.70 (8.27) 2078.70 (8.42)Labour 3481.48 (13.86) 3916.08 (15.86)Total 25124.44 (100.00) 24693.97 (100.00)

ReturnProduction (q ha-1) 110 138 (25.45)Production (Rs. ha-1) 33000 41400Unit cost of production (Rs. q-1) 228.40 178.94Net return (Rs. ha-1) 7875.56 16706.03B-C ratio 1.31 1.68

Cost and return from chilli crop ( Rs. ha –1)

*Figures within parentheses are percentages to the total

Types of malformations with a healthy ear head (extreme left)

HALF-LEAF SYMPTOM

DOWNY MILDEW DISEASE OF PEARL MILLET

DOWNY MILDEW CONTROL BY DOWNY MILDEW CONTROL BY GLIOCLADIUM VIRENS & GLIOCLADIUM VIRENS & RCMRCM

Pre-treatment of bajra seed with 0.6% fungus & RCM (1:1)

Soil application (10g-m2) with FYM Isolated roots of

treated plants Provided up to

73% protection over FP

EFFECT OF BIO-CONTROL AGENTS ON DOWNY MILDEW CONTROL

Treatment Disease Incidence (%) Disease Control (%)

Seed treatment with Raw Cow Milk (RCM) in 1:1 ratio for 18 h

12.6(14.3)*

57.4(36.4)

Seed treatment of Gliocladium virens (0.6%)

08.8(13.0)

70.2(42.2)

Soil treatment of G virens (10g/m2)

12.6(13.8)

57.4(38.6)

Combination of all treatments

08.0(11.6)

72.9(48.4)

Control (No soil and Seed treatment)

29.6(22.5)

---

CD at 5%

C.V.

8.28

36.04

---

* Angular transformed values within parenthesis

EFFECT OF BIOCONTROL AGENTS ON SMUT INCIDENCE

Treatment Disease Incidence (%)

Protection Over Control (%)

Seed treatment with RCM (50%) for 18 hrs

42.1 20.7

Seed treatment with G.virens (6gkg-1)

33.0 37.8

Soil treatment with G.virens (10 g m2)

39.7 25.2

Combination of T 1 – T 3 21.8 58.9

Seed treatment with RGM (50%) for 18 hrs

27.7 47.8

T5 + G.virens in soil 37.0 30.3

Control 53.1 -----

WILT DISEASE OF CUMIN

Healthy (left) and wilt affected cumin plants

Root of the wilt affected cumin plant showing causal fungus

TreatmentDisease

incidence1 (%)

Protection over control (%)

Seed germination2

(%)

Yield(Kg ha-1) 3

Seed treatment with raw cow milk (9% dilution with water) for 20 h

5.4 73.0 55 7.6

Seed treatment with raw cow milk (9% dilution with water) for 20 h and Gliocladium virens (6 g kg-1 seed)

6.7 78.5 70 8.8

Seed treatment with Gliocladium virens (6 g kg-1 seed)

3.3 83.5 73 7.8

Seed treatment of sterile distilled water (Control) 20.0 --- 65 5.1

CD at 5% 1.3 10.7 27 0.7

CV (%) 85.49 11.47 14.23 21.47

1. Recorded at 85 days after sowing (DAS). 2. Seed germination recorded at room temp. 22 ± 30C. 3. Plot size 3 X 4 meter

EFFECT OF BIOCONTROL AGENTS ON CUMIN WILT INCIDENCE, PROTECTION OVER CONTROL AND YIELD.

NEMATODE CONTROL

Paecilomyces lilacinus for microbial biocontrol of Nematodes

ENVIRONMENTALPROTECTION

SOCIALRESPONSIBILITY

THE PLEDGETHE PLEDGE

Towards Green Pesticides

SUSTAINABLE PRODUCTION

BIOFERTILIZER FOR FORESTRY AND ORCHID INDUSTRYBIOFERTILIZER FOR FORESTRY AND ORCHID INDUSTRY

Sclerocystis microcarpa Gigaspora margaritaGlomus macrocarpum

VESICULAR ARBUSCULAR MYCORRHIZA (VAM Fungi)150 species in Zygomycotina

Obligate symbiotic association with agricultural,medicinal,shrubs and treesImprove plant growth and nutrient uptake(phosphorus), reduce water stressProduce growth promoters and induce resistance to plants against pathogens

Role in organic farming and hardening in plant tissue culture

DeuteromycotinaDeuteromycotina( Fungi imperfecti )

• About 8000 spp. from India

• Contribute towards biodegradation and recycling of organic matter and industrial production (antibiotics and biocontrol agents)

• Causing plant diseases, mycoses and allergies

Speiropsis pedatospora

Alternaria alternata

Trichurus spiralis

Paecilomyces elegans

Curvularia eragrostidis

Helicosporium sp.

Kombucha tea or “Chamatkari Roti”Kombucha tea or “Chamatkari Roti”

An ancient health drink from China. Symbiotic yeast and bacteria (Bacterium spp., Saccharomyces spp., Schizosaccaromyces pombe, Acetobacter ketogenum, Torula sp. andPichia fermantans yeasts).

CONCLUSIONCONCLUSION

The variety of fungi and their natural beauty occupy prime place in biological world

A fraction of total fungal wealth is revealed

Unfortunately, only 5-10% fungi can be cultured

Fungal biotechnology has become integral part of human welfare