Succession of phylloplane mycoflora of transgenic bt cotton (JKCH 8836 BG II)

Abstract

Bt cotton, a transgenic crop variety is extensively cultivated in Telangana state especially in Warangal district. This pest resistant variety is reported to be infected by number of diseases. In the present investigations, incidence and succession of phylloplane mycoflora was studied with a premise to assess its role in leaf spot diseases. The results of this study reveal that the incidence of different species varied with the age of the leaf. A total of 39 fungal species representing 24 genera were recorded. Few fungi like Aspergillus flavus, A. niger, Cladosporium cladosporioides, Rhizopus stolonifer and Penicillium chrysogenum, were recorded in all the stages of the leaf phenology. The percentage of frequency and abundance also varied with the species. The incidence of a large number of fungi from young to senescent leaves indicates that phylloplane fungi play a definite role in leaf spot disease and decomposition of leaf litter.