Fungal diversity of sida acuta and centella asiatica in lakkavalli range forest of shivamogga district, Karnataka

Lakkavalli range forest is dry deciduous forest comes under bhadra wild life sanctuary. Rhizosphere soil samples were collected from Sida acuta and Centella asiatica and analyzed for diversity. Fungal species were enumerated by serial dilution method. Thirty six fungal species belonging to twenty one genera were recorded. Among these, 36 fungal species belonging to 21 genera from Sida acuta and 29 fungal species belonging to 17 genera from Centella asiatica soils and two non sporulating fungi were recorded from both soils. Among these, Aspergillus was the dominant in both soils followed by Penicillium and Trichoderma species. Occurrence of soil fungal diversity also depends on the season due to fluctuation in climate. Maximum fungal isolate were isolated during Nov to Dec 2009 minimum in Feb 2010. Soil pH, soil moisture and acidic condition of soil and vegetation type also influence on the fungal diversity.