Rhizosphere Fungi of Red Pepper (Capsicum frutescens)

Abstract

Fungi present in the rhizosphere and rhizoplane of Capsicum frutescens at different stages of plant growth were studied. The experimental soil was loamy sand in texture. The pH of the rhizosphere soil in the field ranged from 6.4 to 6.7 and in the pots, it ranged from 6.3 to 6.8. The fungi isolated were Aspergillus niger, Rhizopus stolonifer, Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus candidus, Penicillium expansum, Fusarium oxysporum, Fusarium poae, Penicillium citrinum, Mucor racemosus, Mucor mucedo, Verticillium lateritium, Fusarium avenaceum, Trichophyton mentagrophyte, Fusarium verticilliodes, Aspergillus ustus, Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Aspegillus fumigatus. The most frequently isolated fungi were Rhizopus stolonifer, Aspergillus nigers and Mucor mucedo. The highest fungal number occurred on the 30th day of plant growth for pots and field.

Key words : Fungi , rhizosphere, rhizoplane, plant