A Comparative Study of Aeromycospora in Different Localities of Gorakhpur, U.P.

An aeromycological study was conducted from at three different localities of Gorakhpur district to identify and quantify fungi. The diversity of the aeromycoflora present in the air of very less populated (College Campus) to comparatively higher populated (Railway platform) and then to highly populated (Gorakhnath mela) regions was studied from 20^th to 30^th of January 2010, using agar plate method. The investigation showed variation in number as well as in composition of fungal species in these areas. The study showed that spores of Alternaria, Aspergillus, Cladosporium, Curvularia, Helminthosporium, Mucor, Penicillium and Rhizopus were the major components in the air of Gorakhpur. The number of fungi collected showed gradual decrease from the region of mela to platform and then to college campus. Scytalidium lignicola a fungus, antagonistic to many fungi, was conspicuous for its presence at college campus region. A. flavus, the aflatoxin (carcinogenic toxin) producing fungus was also recorded from both mela and platform regions.