Mycofumigation potential of novel endophytic fungus muscodor sp. At enhancing the shelf life of fruits and vegetables

Abstract

The current study exploits four Muscodor isolates isolated from various biodiversity hotspots of India for their mycofumigation potential. All the four isolates were resistant to the VOCs produced by native Muscodor albus cz 620 in VOC stress bioassay. The four isolates when subjected for antimicrobial activity using VOC stress bioassay showed potential broad spectrum antibacterial and antifungal activity against plant and human pathogens. Out of four Muscodor isolates #16 AMLWLS was most lethal to the plant and human pathogens. It exhibited complete inhibition of 11 pathogenic microbes whereas growth of rest of the isolates was reduced to 50-70%. #6610 CMSTITBRT and #1 CCSTITD showed antibacterial and antifungal activity whereas #2 CCSTITD showed antifungal activity. VOCs produced by #16 AMLWLS successfully act as a biofumigant. It act as a preservatives for grapes, jamun, cherry, black gram and wheat from Botrytis cinerea, Rhizoctonia solani, Collectrotrichum gloeosporioides and cercospora beticola infection. The inhibition was 80-100% under in vitro conditions. All the four Muscodor isolates produces sterile mycelia with coiling structures and their sequence also showed high similarity with Muscodor species. Thus this confirms their identity as Muscodor species. Thus, these Muscodor isolates can be taken into account to be developed as myco/biofumigant that act a biopreservative for fruits, vegetable and grains.