Effect of different media on the mycelial growth of Fusarium oxysporum, the causative agent of bitter gourd wilt

Abstract

Bitter gourd (Momordica charantia) is economically predominant cucurbit crop. It is widely cultivated in all over the world with high nutritive and medicinal value. Cultivation of bitter gourd is often affected by many diseases, Fusarium wilt is one of the devastating disease incited by Fusarium oxysporum. Survey was carried out for the isolation of ten different Fusarium spp. from various localities of Tamil Nadu. The virulent isolate (BGFI2) which proved in pathogenicity test and molecularly identified as Fusarium oxysporum was taken to evaluate the mycelial growth on the nine different solid and liquid media. The result of this experiment is the diameter of the pathogen mycelial growth was observed as best in the Czapek’s dox agar in both solid and liquid media. Least mycelial growth of solid media was observed in Asthana and Hawker’s agar and least mycelial dry weight of liquid media was observed in Malt extract broth.