Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0
Author-Name:Beenish  Rasheed,  Uzma  Bashir,  Karamat  Ali  Zohaib,  Umara  Mushtaq,  Adnan  Akhter, Waheed Anwar
Author-Email:waheedanwar.dpp@pu.edu.pk
Author-Workplace-Name:Department of Plant Pathology, Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, University of the Punjab, Quaid-i-Azam Campus, Lahore 54590, Pakistan
Title:Impact of Rhizospheric and Phyllospheric Mycobiota on Plant Health of Tomato
Abstract: Tomato  (Solanum  lycopersicum)  is  a  significant  crop  produced  globally  but  suffers from  numerous  biotic  and  abiotic  stresses  when  cultivated  in  fields.  Among  all  the biological stresses, fungal diseases cause a sharp decline in yield and quality but may remain non-pathogenic and symptomless under certain fungal species throughout the plant's entire life cycle. This work aimed to isolate and purify the mycobiota from various parts of the  tomato  plant—stem,  root,  fruit,  leaf,  and  rhizospheric  soil—to  determine  the  fungal communities present. Morphological and molecular identification established the presence of various  fungal  species,  including Aspergillus  fumigatus, Acremoniumspp., Pythiumspp., Geotrichum candidum, Aspergillus parasiticus, Aspergillus carbonarius, Aspergillus terricola, Aspergillus  flavus, Aspergillus  oryzae,  and Alternaria  alternata.  The  density and  distribution of  these  fungi  varied  among  different  plant  parts  and  soil,  with A.  fumigatusshowing  the highest  frequency  (80%)  among  all  isolates.  Fungal  diversity  analysisrevealed  notable differences in species richness and evenness across plant parts. The rhizospheric soil showed the highest fungal diversity (Shannon index = 2.31), followed by roots (2.05), while the leaf and fruit tissues exhibited lower diversity indices. The Simpson's index values also confirmed greater  dominance  and  lower  evenness  in  aboveground  plant  parts,  indicating  a  more selective  fungal  colonization.  A  heat  map  was  constructed  to  visually  compare  diversity metrics  across  plant  parts.  Moreover,  the  effect  of  microbiomes  on  tomato  plant  health, especially  on  chlorophyll  content  in  the  field,  was  also  examined.  The  results  indicate  that tomato  plant  mycobiota  play  a  positive  role  in  plant  health  based  on  their  interaction. Further studies need to be conducted to investigate the specific possible positive impact of individual fungal species and their interactive effect on plant health of tomato crops.
Keywords:Mycobiome,Fungal Identification, Chlorophyll Levels, Endophytes, Tomato
Journal:International Journal of Innovations in Science and Technology
Pages:802-816
Volume:7
Issue:2
Year:2025
Month:May 
File-URL:https://journal.50sea.com/index.php/IJIST/article/view/1273/2193
File-Format: Application/pdf
File-URL:https://journal.50sea.com/index.php/IJIST/article/view/1273
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Handle: RePEc:abq:IJIST1:v:7:y:2025:i:2:p:802-816