Effect of tillage practices in rice-wheat cropping system on diversity of soil inhabiting mycoflora of calcareous soil of Bihar

Fungal diversity of soil under contrast tillage practice with and without residue incorporation in rice-wheat cropping system of calcareous soil was studied. Soil samples were collected from rice-wheat cropping system using dilution plate technique and compared with the distribution of fungal propagules in different treatments. out of twenty-two principal genera isolated and identified, Aspergillus and Penicillium were the most frequent followed by Fusarium, Cladosporium, Alternaria, Trichoderma, Curvularia and Epicoccum. Community structure indicates conventional tillage system without brown manure as supportive to fungal diversity, richness, evenness etc. Data indicates that different agricultural practices impact soil inocula of beneficial, alkalophilic, thermophilic and saprophytic fungi in their production area. Conservation tillage with brown manure was augmentive towards selected group of fungi and support more number fungal population to conventional till system.