Preliminary studies on phylloplane fungi associated with Syzygium cumini and Ocimum sanctum

Phylloplane is natural habitat of microbial community on leaf surface which comprises of both saprophytes and pathogens. The present study was designed to investigate fungal abundance on leaves of two medicinal plants viz., Syzygium cumini (L.) Skeels and Ocimum sanctum L. Direct inoculation with and without surface sterilization of leaf and the leaf suspension method were used for the assessment of associated phylloplane fungal flora. A total of five fungal species belonging to three different genera namely Alternaria, Aspergillus and Fusarium were isolated. Fungal abundance was significantly higher on O. sanctum than on S. cumini.