Archives

Fungal spores are widely distributed over the world which constitute the major component of the air
borne microflora. They are affected by various environmental factors such as temperature, humidity,
moisture, wind and geographical location. Seasonal variation affect the distribution of fungi of
particular area. Occurence and types of fungal species change with season and geographical
locations. A study was conducted on air mycoflora over Som (Persea bombycina) growing areas of
Goalpara district of Assam during various seasons of the year 2014. The site for the study represents
a rural & semi urban area. A total of 11 species of fungi were isolated and identified on the basis of
colony morphology, mycelia, sporangiophore and spore structure from different groups. Among all
the species the dominant fungal genera prevailing on the air of Som plantation area are Aspergillus
niger and Rhizopus stolonifer. The other species includes Aerobasidium pullulans, Aspergillus
flavus, Aspergillus fumigatus, Aspergillus candidus, Alternaria alternate, Cladosporium
cladosporioides, Curvularia lunata, Fusarium oxysporum and Penicillium chrysogenum. The
mycoflora were isolated by using Culture method or Gravitational setting method on Potato
Dextrose Agar, Martins Rose Bengal Agar and Czapek’s Dox Agar medium supplemented by
suitable antibiotics. It has been observed that over the last few years, study on airborne fungi
gaining significant progress because of medical and phytopathological consequences associated
with fungal spores. The seasonal & monthly variation of these airborne fungi were studied
qualitatively and quantitatively. The present study was conducted to elucidate the distribution and
occurence of airborne fungi throughout the year 2014.
Keywords: air mycoflora, Som, seasonal variation, Goalpara district