Modified isolation technique for obtaining pure cultures of seedborne fungi

A simple modified hand-made needle technique for obtaining pure cultures directly from a mixed population of fungi was developed which resulted in purification of several seed-borne fungal species producing exogenous macrospores on seeds of different crops within a minimum possible time viz., Alternaria, Bipolaris, Botrytis and Cercospora Pure cultures of other species of fungi producing fruiting bodies or sclerotia like Botryodiplodia, Colletotrichum, Fusarium, Leptosphaeria, Phomopsis, Rhizoctonia, Sclerotinia and Sclerotium through selective picking of single fruiting body or sclerotia. In this modified technique, frequency of isolation in pure form ranged from 50.0 (Corynespora cassicola) to 87.5 per cent (Bipolaris halodes and B. oryzae each), whereas, in fungi producing fruiting bodies or sclerotia, frequency of obtaining pure cultures ranged between 37.5 (Colletotrichum graminicola) to 100.00 per cent (Leptosphaeria sacchari). This modified technique may be useful for quick isolation of specific group of fungi even from their mixed population on seeds.