Biological Control of Some Forest Tree Seeds fungi in vivo
Abstract
Isolation of some fungi associated with forest tree seeds was conducted in the Forest Pathology Laboratory of the Department of Forestry Sciences, College of Agriculture and Forestry, University of Mosul. These fungi included Pinus brutia, Pinus aldaarika, Pinus halepensis, Pinus pinea, Cupressus sempervirensis, and Thuja Biota orientalis. Isolation results revealed the presence of fungi associated with forest tree seeds at varying isolation rates from the isolated species. These fungi included the following: Penecillium digitatum, Alternaria obovoidea, Aspergillus terrus, Aspergillus niger, Fusarium Culmorum, Penecillium litalicum, and Rhizoctonia solani. Rhizopus and Stymphilium sareiniformi
The phenotypic identification results for some isolated fungi matched the molecular identification of four fungi: Fusarium culmorum, Alternaria obovoidea, Stymphilium sareiniformi, and Rhizoctonia solani. The fungi were registered in the National Genebank under the names of both researchers at the National Institute of Biotechnology (NCBI), while the remaining fungi were registered based solely on phenotypic identification. Thus, these fungi are the first to be registered globally in the Genebank from forest tree seeds in Mosul, Iraq. The results of biological control using the fungus Trichoderma harzianum on the average growth of fungi in general showed that the resistant fungus fell into the (1) and (2) classes of the Bell et al. scale, The fungus is ineffective against Penicillium Italicum and Asperillus terrus, as these fungi fall within grades (3) and (4) of the Bell scale, which are considered fungi with a high parasitic ability to control other fungi: Alternaria obovoidea, Asperillus niger, Fusarium culmorum, Rhizoctonia solani, Stymphilium sareiniformi, and Penicillium digitatum. The growth inhibition effect was greatest with A. niger, with the lowest average growth rate reaching 21 mm for Fusarium culmorum, Alternaria obovoidea, and Stymphilium sareiniformi, with average growth rates of 23, 24, and 25 mm.
