Abstract

Tobacco grown in vertisols was investigated for endophytic Mycoflora as a possible source of bio protection to the host against insect pests, pathogens and even domestic herbivores. There are 65 Nicotiana sp. available in the world, of which 45 are being maintained in India. Several of these species have resistance to pests and diseases and are being used for developing disease/ pest resistant tobacco varieties. One hundred sixty segments from 30 plants of Nicotiana tabacum L. collected from different locations of FCV tobacco grown in vertisols were processed for the presence of endophytic fungi. A total of 9 fungal species viz. Aspergillus flavus, A. niger, Asperigillus sp, Penicillium sp. were isolated. Among the endophytic flora, Aspergillus was the most prominent genus. 

Keywords

Aspergillus, endophytes, fungi, tobacco