Division of Plant Pathology, Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi
National Symposium on “Plant Pathology in the Changing Global Scenario” held at National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources, New Delhi on February 27–28, 2009
Gibberellins (GAs) are one of the major group of growth promoting harmones and play an essential role in regulation of growth and development of angiospermic plants. As well as being phytoharmones, GAs are also present in some fungi and bacteria. Gibberellins were first identified as secondary products of rice pathogenic fungus causing over growth symptoms (bakane disease) by Phinney 1983. The fungus Fusarium moniliformae has played an essential role in gibberellin research. Fusarium moniliformae produces a complex containing several gibberellins including some of the biologically active (GA1, GA3, GA4, GA7, GA13) and biologically inactive GA3 isolactone. Gibberellins are high valued industrial biochemicals. There is constant hunt of better strains for production of gibberellins. Present study was envisaged to explore potential strains of Fusarium for production of gibberellin. RAPD and ITS were used as a tool to distinguish different strains of Fusarium and to establish relationship between its genetic variability and gibberellin producing ability. Twenty –eight strains of Fusarium were analysed out of which six were collected from different regions of India and twenty – two were procured from Indian Type Culture Collection, IARI, New Delhi. The quantitative and qualitative analysis was done by TLC/HPLC. The range of gibberellin varied from 0–5.35 µg/ml.
