Monika Verma, Alok Kumar and Ved Pal Singh
Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology Laboratory, Department of Botany, University of Delhi
Delhi-110 007, India
vpsingh_biology@rediffmail.com
Abstract: Six antibiotics [viz. amphotericin-B (AP), clotrimazole (CC), fluconazole (FLC), itraconazole (IT), ketoconazole (KT) and nystatin (NS)] and six bacteria (viz. Bacillus licheniformis, B. haloduran, B. cohnii, B. subtilis, Pseudomonas sp., and Rhizobium sp.) were tested for their antifungal activities against two pathogenic fungi Aspergillus flavus (102566) and A. niger,which cause a significant yield loss in many important crops during pre- and post-harvest periods. Antibiotics susceptibility test for six antibiotics revealed the antifungal activities of five antibiotics, FLC being ineffective against the test pathogens. Out of the six bacteria, two (Pseudomonas sp. and Rhizobium sp.) were found to show antifungal activities against both the test pathogens; while, all four Bacillus spp. were found to be ineffective against A. flavus and A. niger, The investigation revealed that the chemical and biological agents can be effectively used against the fungal pathogens.
Keywords: Aspergillus spp., antifungal activity, antibiotics, biological control, Pseudomonas sp., Rhizobium sp.
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