Browsing by Author "Anuj Kumar"

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A comparative study of endophytic and epiphytic fungal association with leaf of Eucalyptus citriodora Hook., and their antimicrobial activity
(2010) Ravindra N. Kharwar; Surendra K. Gond; Anuj Kumar; Ashish Mishra
Eucalyptus citriodora Hook, is frequently cultivated tree in India for its wood and medicinal usages. The endophytic and epiphytic fungi were estimated from healthy leaves of E. citriodora growing in the premise of Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India. A total of 33 fungal species were isolated from leaf segments. Of 33 taxa, 20 were recorded as endophytes, while 22 as epiphytes. Nine, out of 33 species were found to be common in leaf tissues and surfaces (Alternaria alternata, Aspergillus fumigatus, A. terreus, Cladosporium cladosporioides, Drechslera rostrata, Humicola grisea, Nigrospora oryzae, Penicillium cristata, and Pestalotia sp.). Out of 478 fungal isolates, 279 were epiphytic while only 199 were endophytic. Most isolates were anamorphic filamentous fungi which often don't produce sexual spores. The Sorensen's index of similarity between endophytes and epiphytes (leaf surface colonizers) was found to be at 0.300. Diversity index of fungal species was higher in endophytes than epiphytes. The frequency of colonization differs greatly in both myco-populations. Cladosporium cladosporioides (26%) was dominant species on leaf surfaces while Botrytis cinerea (10.5%) was dominant in leaf tissues. Out of 16 endophytic isolates evaluated for antagonistic test, 8 (50%) gave the antagonistic activity against variety of fungi representing pathogens to both humans and plants. © 2010 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.
Antagonistic potential of fluorescent pseudomonads and control of charcoal rot of chickpea caused by Macrophomina phaseolina
(Triveni Enterprises, 2007) Vinod Kumar; Anuj Kumar; R.N. Kharwar
The effectiveness of plant growth promoting rhizobacteria especially Pseudomonas fluorescens isolates were tested against charcoal rot of chickpea both in green house as well as in field conditions. Most of the isolates reduced charcoal rot disease and promoted plant growth in green house. A marked increase in shoot and root length was observed in P. fluorescens treated plants. Among all the P. fluorescens isolates Pf4-99, was found most effective in the improvement of chickpea crop in green house as well as in field. Pf4-99 effectively promoted plant growth and produced indole acetic acid in culture medium. This isolate also inhibited the mycelial growth of the M. phaseolina under in vitro conditions and reduced the disease severity. Potential isolate (Pf4-99) also significantly increased the biomass of the chickpea plants, shoot length, root length and protein content of the chickpea seeds. A part from these, the total number of seeds per plant and their weight were also enhanced. The colonization of Pf4-99 reduced the incidence of seed mycoflora by which indirectly enhanced the seed germination and vigour index of seedlings. The observations revealed that isolate Pf4-99 is quite effective to reduce the charcoal rot disease both in field and greenhouse, and also increases seed yields significantly. Therefore, this isolate appears to be an efficient biocontrol agent against charcoal rot disease as well as yield increasing rhizobacterium.
Assessment of diversity, distribution and antibacterial activity of endophytic fungi isolated from a medicinal plant Adenocalymma alliaceum Miers
(2011) Ravindra N. Kharwar; Satish K. Verma; Ashish Mishra; Surendra K. Gond; Vijay K. Sharma; Talat Afreen; Anuj Kumar
A study was conducted for isolation, identification and antibacterial potential of fungal endophytes of Adenocalymma alliaceum Miers., (Bignoniaceae), a medicinal shrub vine plant which has long history for its usages in curing various disorders. A total of 149 isolates of endophytic fungi representing 17 fungal taxa were obtained from 270 segments (90 from each stem, leaf and petiole) of this plant. Hyphomycetes (77.85%) were the most prevalent, followed by Ascomycetes (8.05%) and Coelomycetes (4.03%) respectively. A considerable amount of fungal isolates was kept under (10.07%) Mycelia-Sterilia (MS). Leaf harboured maximum colonization of endophytic fungi (72.22%) which was greater than stem (67.78%) and petiole (25.54%). The Jc similarity index was maximum (0.619) between stem vs leaf followed by leaf vs petiole (0.571) and stem vs petiole (0.428). The dominant endophytic fungi were Alternaria alternata, Aspergillus niger, Stenella agalis, Fusarium oxysporum, Curvularia lunata and Fusarium roseum. Among twelve endophytic fungi tested for antibacterial activity, crude extracts of nine endophytic fungi (75%), showed antibacterial potential against one or more clinical human pathogens. Alternaria alternata, Curvularia lunata, Penicillium sp. and Chaetomium globosum exhibited significant antibacterial activity against 4 of 5 tested pathogens, showing broad spectrum activity. This investigation explains the value of sampling from different tissues of a host plant for the greater species diversity, and additionally, the antibacterial screening of some endophytic fungi from this specific medicinal plant may represent a unique source for many of the useful antibacterial compounds. © 2011 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.
Bandgap Modulation of Hydrothermally Synthesized CZTS Nanoparticles through Ni Incorporation
(Springer, 2025) Yogesh Kumar Saini; Sanju Mahich; Shubham Gupta; Rishabh Kumar; Chandra Shekhar Pati Tripathi; Anuj Kumar; Sarita Kumari; Sanjay Kumar Swami; Amanpal K. Singh
Kesterite (Cu2ZnSnS4) has gained significant attention in optoelectronic materials research for future solar energy applications due to its composition of earth-abundant elements, nontoxic nature, and cost-effectiveness as a p-type semiconductor material. This study investigates the effect of Ni doping on Cu2Zn1−xSnS4Nix nanoparticles (NPs) synthesized via the hydrothermal method, with varying Ni concentrations (x = 0, 0.005, 0.01, 0.05, 0.1). x-ray diffraction (XRD) and Raman spectroscopy confirm the retention of the kesterite structure with high crystallinity, while x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) verifies the incorporation of Ni2+ ions into the Cu2ZnSnS4 (CZTS) lattice. The oxidation states of the Ni+2 metal dopants are clear from the XPS analysis. Field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and energy-dispersive x-ray (EDX) analysis reveal changes in particle morphology and elemental distribution due to Ni doping, with FESEM images showing that the particle size of CZTS NPs ranges from 100 nm to 150 nm as the Ni concentration increases. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) shows clear lattice fringes of both pristine and Ni-doped samples, confirming the crystallinity and highlighting minor distortions in the lattice due to Ni incorporation, which introduces lattice strain. Ultraviolet–visible–near-infrared (UV-Vis-NIR) spectroscopy shows a significant reduction in the optical bandgap from 1.50 eV for pristine CZTS to 1.38 eV for Ni-doped samples, highlighting the importance of bandgap tailoring to optimize CZTS NPs for enhanced solar energy absorption. © The Minerals, Metals & Materials Society 2025.
Bio-control potential in Cladosporium sp. (MCPL - 461), against a noxious weed Parthenium hysterophorus L
(Triveni Enterprises, 2009) Anuj Kumar; V.C. Verma; S.K. Gond; V. Kumar; R.N. Kharwar
The phenological survey of Parthenium hysterophorus L., in and around the campus of Banaras Hindu University (BHU) was done for about two years (2004-06). During Nov. 2004, a few Parthenium plants were found diseased, and symptoms were restricted to the flowers, buds, and inflorescences. The disease causes sterility and reduces seed viability, which was observed with seed germination test from infected and healthy plants. The fungal pathogen was isolated and identified as Cladosporium sp. (MCPL-461). The severity of pathogen to the reproductive organs led to serious damages of the Parthenium plants. Thus in vitro and in vivo experiments were conducted to determine the bio-control potential of Cladosporium sp. (MCPL 461) against Parthenium weed. A combinatorial effort of Cladosporium sp. (MCPL 461) bio-control potential was evaluated with different culture media, incubation periods and spores strength. Spore suspension of 105 to 1012 spores ml-1 were used to spray on healthy Parthenium plants, and it was found that severe infection symptoms were appeared at 1010 to 1012 spores ml-1 suspension. LD50 was found at 107 spores ml-1. To enhance the myco-herbicide activity 3% sucrose was added to the spore suspension, which further resolute the bio-control efficacy of the isolates. Only 20-30% seeds of infected plants could germinate. However the safety of non-targeted and wild plants was also tested with Lantana camera, Chromolaena odorata and found that suspension up to 1012 spores ml-1 were not sufficient for disease outbreak in them. © Triveni Enterprises, Lucknow (India).
Characterization of Wp-type of spaces involving fractional Fourier transform
(Springer International Publishing, 2015) Santosh Kumar Upadhyay; Anuj Kumar
The characterizations of Wp-type of spaces and mapping relations between W- and Wp-type of spaces are discussed by using the fractional Fourier transform. The uniqueness of the Cauchy problems is also investigated by using the same transform. © 2015, Upadhyay and Kumar; licensee Springer.
Characterization of Pseudofusicoccum adansoniae, an Endophytic Fungus Residing in Photosynthetic Root of Tinospora cordifolia, a Medicinal Plant
(Springer, 2019) Ashish Mishra; Surendra K. Gond; Vijay K. Sharma; Satish K. Verma; Jitendra Kumar; Dheeraj K. Singh; Anuj Kumar; Pooja Pandey; R.N. Kharwar
An endophytic fungus isolated from photosynthetic root of Tinospora cordifolia Miers. was identified as Pseudofusicoccum adansoniae with 100% 18S ITS rRNA partial gene sequence similarity (accession JX951181). The fungus exhibited amylase, lipase and protease activities and was also able to assimilate the galactose, glucose, fructose, lactose and maltose along with l-arginine and alanine. In addition to siderophore production, the fungus was found to be tolerant against various concentrations of NO2 −, NO3 − and NaCl. The maximum biomass and metabolite yield were observed at pH range 5.4–7.0, whereas yield of secondary metabolites was highest in potato dextrose broth (36.66 ± 0.33 mg/100 ml) extracted through ethyl acetate (EtOAc). Interestingly, metabolites extracted through ethyl acetate from PDB and MEB grown cultures were found to be active against all 8 human bacterial pathogens used in this study. The isolation and characterization of P. adansoniae done in this experiment are the initial steps which pave the way for purified isolation of bioactive compounds and enzymes of immense use. © 2018, The National Academy of Sciences, India.
Characterization of spaces of type W and pseudo-differential operators of infinite order involving fractional Fourier transform
(Birkhauser Verlag AG, 2014) S.K. Upadhyay; Anuj Kumar; Jitendra Kumar Dubey
The characterization of W-type spaces is investigated and various properties of pseudo-differential operators are studied by using the fractional Fourier transform. © 2014 Springer Basel.
Diversity and antimicrobial activity of endophytic fungal community isolated from medicinal plant Cinnamomum camphora
(2012) R.N. Kharwar; A.L. Maurya; V.C. Verma; Anuj Kumar; S.K. Gond; Ashish Mishra
To study the diversity, distribution and community structure of endophytic fungi, a medicinal plant Cinnamomum camphora (L.) Presl., was selected from ayurvedic garden of Banaras Hindu University (BHU), Varanasi, India. Differences were observed between the endophytic myco-population of young and mature tissues of leaf, stem and petiole. The leaf segments with midrib (43.93 %, Isolation Frequency) were found to have more endophytic isolates than the vein less foliar segments (21.21 %), however, the segments with lateral veins (34.84 %) are comparatively closer to the midrib segments in endophytic recovery. The mature tissues are found to harbor more endophytic diversity than the young ones. It was observed that some endophytes restrict the probable invasion of other endophytes in their respective tissues, and thus defend their tissue specificity. The endophytic microbes obtained in this study are evaluated for their antimicrobial activity, against an array of human and plant pathogens. Pestalotiopsis sp. showed significant inhibitory activity against Phytophthora cryptogea (57.7 %), Pythium aphanidermatum (54.5 %) and Microsporum nanum (51.4), while Phomopsis sp. inhibited P. aphanidermatum moderately. This preliminary work not only resolutes the understanding about plant-endophytes interactions and distribution within the host, but also provides platform for screening and isolation of novel natural antimicrobial compounds, that may be utilized in designing novel drugs for sustainable relief to the mankind. © 2012 The National Academy of Sciences, India.
Diversity and antimicrobial activity of endophytic fungi isolated from Nyctanthes arbor-tristis, a well-known medicinal plant of India
(Elsevier B.V., 2012) Surendra K. Gond; Ashish Mishra; Vijay K. Sharma; Satish K. Verma; Jitendra Kumar; Ravindra N. Kharwar; Anuj Kumar
Endophytic fungi from Nyctanthes arbor-tristis were isolated and evaluated for their antimicrobial activity. A total of 19 endophytic fungi were isolated from 400 segments of healthy leaf and stem tissues of N. arbor-tristis. Eighteen endophytic fungi were obtained from leaf, while only ten from stem. Alternaria alternata had the highest colonization frequency (15. 0%) in leaf, whereas Cladosporium cladosporioides ranked first in stem with a colonization frequency of 12%. The diversity and species richness were found higher in leaf tissues than in stem. The similarity indices between leaf and stem were 0. 473 for Jaccard's and 0. 642 for the Sorenson index, respectively. Of 16, 12 (75%) endophytic fungal extracts showed antibacterial activity against either one or more pathogenic bacteria. The endophytic Nigrospora oryzae showed maximum inhibition against Shigella sp. and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The leaf endophytes Colletotrichum dematium and Chaetomium globosum exhibited a broad range of anibacterial activity and were active against Shigella flexnii, Shigella boydii, Salmonella enteritidis, Salmonella paratyphi, and P. aeruginosa. Nine out of 16 (56. 25%) endophytic fungi exhibited antifungal activity to one or more fungal pathogens. Colletotrichum dematium inhibited 55. 87% of the radial growth of the phytopathogen Curvularia lunata. The antimicrobial activity of these endophytic microorganisms could be exploited in the biotechnological, medicinal, and agricultural industries. © 2011 The Mycological Society of Japan and Springer.
Effect of Methanolic Extract of Phyllanthus niruri on Leptin Level in Animal Model of Diabetes Mellitus
(Oriental Scientific Publishing Company, 2019) Anuj Kumar; Akhilesh Kumar Rana; Amit Singh; Alok Singh
To study the effect of methanolic extract of Phyllanthus niruri on animal model of Diabetes Mellitus. Diabetes Mellitus was induced in rats by injecting Streptozotocin (60mg/ kg) intraperitonealy. Blood glucose was measured on day 3by GOD-POD method. Rats having fasting blood glucose >250 mg/dl were further selected for study. Four groups were created i.e. Control, Control+Streptozotocin, Streptozotocin+ Metformin(75mg/kg) and Streptozotocin+ extract of P. niruri (250mg/kg). Each group was consisting of 6 rats of either sex. Metformin and experimentalextract were administered for 21 days. Blood Glucose was measured on day 7 and 21. Triglyceride, Cholesterol and Leptin level were also measure by commercially available kit. Anti-oxidant potential was assessed by estimating extent of Lipid peroxidation (LPO) by Malondialdehyde (MDA), Nitric oxide (NO), Superoxide dismutase (SOD) and Glutathione (GSH) in four different tissues i.e. Liver, Kidney, Pancreas, Muscle on day 21. Unpaired and paired student’s t-test were applied for statistical analysis using SPSS Software. The extract of P. niruri showed significant decrease in blood glucose level on day 21 (p-0.04). The treatment didn’t show significant lowering of Leptin and Cholesterol level however Triglyceride level was significantly reduced (p-0.05). The treatment group showed improvement in oxidative stress by increasing SOD and GSH and decreasing LPO and NO activity. The study showed anti-hyperglycemic and anti-oxidative properties of methanolic extract of P.niruri. © 2019 Oriental Scientific Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Endophytic actinomycetes from azadirachta indica A. Juss.: Isolation, diversity, and anti-microbial activity
(2009) Vijay C. Verma; Surendra K. Gond; Anuj Kumar; Ashish Mishra; Ravindra N. Kharwar; Alan C. Gange
Endophytic actinomycetes from Azadirachta indica A. Juss. were screened and evaluated for their anti-microbial activity against an array of pathogenic fungi and bacteria. A total of 55 separate isolates were obtained from 20 plants, and 60% of these showed inhibitory activity against one or more pathogenic fungi and bacteria. Actinomycetes were most commonly recovered from roots (54.5% of all isolates), followed by stems (23.6%), and leaves (21.8%). The dominant genus was Streptomyces (49.09% of all isolates), while Streptosporangium (14.5%), Microbispora (10.9%), Streptoverticillium (5.5%), Sacchromonospora sp. (5.5%), and Nocardia (3.6%) were also recovered. Streptomyces isolates AzR 006, 011, and 031 (all from roots) had acute activity against Pseudomonas fluorescens, while AzR027, 032, and 051 (also all from roots) showed activity against Escherichia coli. Meanwhile, an isolate of Nocardia sp. from leaves (AzL025) showed antagonism against Bacillus subtilis. Overall, 32 of the 55 were found to have broad spectrum significant antimicrobial activity, while about 4% of them showed strong and acute inhibition to pathogenic fungi and bacteria. Isolates of Streptomyces AzR031, 008, and 047, Nocardia sp. AzL025, and Streptosporangium sp. AzR 021 and 048 are of particular interest because they showed significant antagonistic activity against root pathogens, including Pythium and Phytophthora sp. Thus, many of the isolates recovered from A. indica in this study may be used in developing potential bio-control agents against a range of pathogenic fungi and bacteria and in the production of novel natural antimicrobial compounds. These results not only further our understanding of plant-microbe interactions but also indicate that there is an untapped resource of endophytic microorganisms that could be exploited in the biotechnological, medicinal, and agricultural industries. © 2008 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC.
Endophytic Fungal Flora from Roots and Fruits of an Indian Neem Plant Azadirachta indica A. Juss., and Impact of Culture Media on their Isolation
(2011) Vijay C. Verma; Surendra K. Gond; Anuj Kumar; Ravindra N. Kharwar; Lori-Ann Boulanger; Gary A. Strobel
Azadirachta indica A. Juss. (neem), native to India, is well known worldwide for its insecticidal and ethanopharmacological properties. Although endophytic microbes are known from this plant as only leaves and stems were the subjects of past reports. Now, a variety of procedures and a number of different media were used to isolate the maximum number of endophytic fungi from unripe fruits and roots. A total of 272 isolates of 29 filamentous fungal taxa were isolated at rate of 68.0% from 400 samples of three different individual trees (at locations-Az1, Az2, Az3). Mycological agar (MCA) medium yielded the highest number of isolates (95, with a 14.50% isolation rate) with the greatest species richness. Mycelia Sterilia (1, 2, 3) accounted for 11.06%, Coelomycetes 7.25%, while Hyphomycetes showed the maximum number of representative isolates (81. 69%). Mycelia-Sterilia (1, 2, 3), based on their 5. 8S ITS 1, ITS2 and partial 18S and 28S rDNA sequences were identified as Fusarium solani (99%), Chaetomium globosum (93%) and Chaetomium globosum (93%) respectively. Humicola, Drechslera, Colletotrichum, and Scytalidium sp. were some of the peculiar fungal endophytes recovered from this plant. © 2011 Association of Microbiologists of India.
Epigenetic Activation of Antibacterial Property of an Endophytic Streptomyces coelicolor Strain AZRA 37 and Identification of the Induced Protein Using MALDI TOF MS/MS
(Public Library of Science, 2016) Jitendra Kumar; Vijay K. Sharma; Dheeraj K. Singh; Ashish Mishra; Surendra K. Gond; Satish K. Verma; Anuj Kumar; Ravindra Nath Kharwar
The endophytic Streptomyces coelicolor strain AZRA 37 was isolated from the surface sterilized root of Azadirachta indica A. Juss., commonly known as neem plant in India. Since only a few reports are available regarding epigenetic modulations of microbial entities, S. coelicolor was treated with different concentrations of 5-azacytidine for this purpose and evaluated for its antibacterial potential against five human pathogenic bacteria (Aeromonas hydrophila IMS/GN11, Enterococcus faecalis IMS/GN7, Salmonella typhi MTCC 3216, Shigella flexneri ATCC 12022 and Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923). The crude extract obtained from cultures treated with 25 ìM concentration of 5-azacytidine, was found effective against all five pathogenic bacteria tested while the untreated control was only active against 3 pathogenic bacteria. HPLC analysis of crude compounds from treated cultures showed a greater number of compounds than that of the control. Extraction of whole cell protein and its SDS PAGE analysis showed an additional major protein band in 25 ìM5- azacytidine treated culture and MALDI TOF MS/MS analysis revealed that this protein belongs to the porin family. © 2016 Kumar et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Fungal endophytes representing diverse habitats and their role in plant protection
(Springer Singapore, 2017) Satish K. Verma; Surendra K. Gond; Ashish Mishra; Vijay K. Sharma; Jitendra Kumar; Dheeraj K. Singh; Anuj Kumar; Ravindra N. Kharwar
Fungal endophytes are commonly considered all those highly diverse fungi that colonize internal tissue of plants either part or complete their life without causing any negative symptoms of disease. Researches on structural and functional diversity of fungal entophytes have developed great appreciation among the scientific community because its promises plethora of advantages to host plants which most of them we are not aware and to be potential source of novel metabolites that could serve as new drugs of pharmaceutical and agricultural importance. Endophytic fungi are reported from each group of plants from thallophytes to spermatophytes (algae to angiosperms) and from aquatic to xerophytic plants. Taxonomically they are categorized into two different phylogenetic groups i.e. clavicipitaceous and non-clavicipitaceous group that may be transmitted horizontally or vertically from plant to plant. Endophytism is classical example of mutualistic symbiosis which has evolved from the balanced antagonism between microbes and host plant during the course of time. Past researches on fungal endophyte mainly focused on diversity and its secondary metabolites; many aspects of their role in plant protection against biotic and abiotic stresses are less explored. Since the majority of these groups of microbes are mysterious and their other hidden potential values are yet to be discovered which need more attention. Past fragmentary reports on role of fungal endophyte in plant protection give enough clue regarding scope and application of these microbes as tools for the improving fitness of plant in terms of quality and quantity of their productivity. The present article mostly focuses to review the status on diversity of fungal endophytes in different groups of plants, and their spatio-temporal distribution including the role in plant protection. © Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2017.
Genetic parameters and correlation study for yield and quality traits in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.)
(2013) Vinod Kumar; R. Nandan; K. Srivastava; S.K. Sharma; Ravindra Kumar; Anuj Kumar
The present investigation was conducted at Vegetable Research Farm, Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi (U.P.), India during Rabi 2008-09. The genetic parameters and correlation were studied for yield and quality traits in tomato. The experimental material comprised of thirteen genotypes (10 lines + 3 testers) and their thirty crosses alongwith two checks of tomato and the experiment was laid out in Randomized Block Design with three replications. The maximum genotypic and phenotypic variation was (168.30 and 169.95 cm.) for plant height and minimum for fruit shape index (0.02 and 0.02), respectively. Analysis of coefficient of variation revealed that magnitude of phenotypic coefficient was higher than genotypic coefficient of variation for all the characters except primary branches per plant under study. The magnitude of genotypic and phenotypic coefficient of variation was higher for number of fruits per cluster (18.04 and 18.32), lycopene content (22.07 and 22.46), respectively. High values of heritability (broad sense) for plant height (99%) and fruit per cluster, total soluble solids and lycopene (97%) and high genetic advance were observed for plant height and average fruit weight (26.59 and 14.88%), respectively. A positive and significance association of yield per plant with all the traits both at genotypic and phenotypic levels.
Harnessing the phytotherapeutic treasure troves of the ancient medicinal plant azadirachta indica (Neem) and associated endophytic microorganisms
(Georg Thieme Verlag, 2020) Ravindra N. Kharwar; Vijay K. Sharma; Ashish Mishra; Jitendra Kumar; Dheeraj K. Singh; Satish K. Verma; Surendra K. Gond; Anuj Kumar; Nutan Kaushik; Bharadwaj Revuru; Souvik Kusari
Azadirachta indica, commonly known as neem, is an evergreen tree of the tropics and sub-tropics native to the Indian subcontinent with demonstrated ethnomedicinal value and importance in agriculture as well as in the pharmaceutical industry. This ancient medicinal tree, often called the wonder tree, is regarded as a chemical factory of diverse and complex compounds with a plethora of structural scaffolds that is very difficult to mimic by chemical synthesis. Such multifaceted chemical diversity leads to a fantastic repertoire of functional traits, encompassing a wide variety of biological activity and unique modes of action against specific and generalist pathogens and pests. Until now, more than 400 compounds have been isolated from different parts of neem including important bioactive secondary metabolites such as azadirachtin, nimbidin, nimbin, nimbolide, gedunin, and many more. In addition to its insecticidal property, the plant is also known for antimicrobial, antimalarial, antiviral, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, antipyretic, hypoglycaemic, antiulcer, antifertility, anticarcinogenic, hepatoprotective, antioxidant, anxiolytic, molluscicidal, acaricidal, and antifilarial properties. Notwithstanding the chemical and biological virtuosity of neem, it has also been extensively explored for associated microorganisms, especially a class of mutualists called endophytic microorganisms (or endophytes). More than 30 compounds, including neem mimetic compounds, have been reported from endophytes harbored in the neem trees in different ecological niches. In this review, we provide an informative and in-depth overview of the topic that can serve as a point of reference for an understanding of the functions and applications of a medicinal plant such as neem, including associated endophytes, within the overall theme of phytopathology. Our review further exemplifies the already-noted current surge of interest in plant and microbial natural products for implications both within the ecological and clinical settings, for a more secure and sustainable future. © 2020 Royal Society of Chemistry. All rights reserved.
History and Developments of Plant Pathology in India: Fungal Aspects
(Springer Singapore, 2021) R.N. Kharwar; Richa Raghuwanshi; Anuj Kumar; Sunil Kumar Deshmukh
The chapter makes a modest attempt to highlight the major achievements of fungal plant pathology in India which had set a milestone in history of fungal plant pathology. The chapter summarizes the historical achievements made in the area of plant pathology with respect to diseases caused by fungal pathogens, disease biology research, epidemiology, fungicide research, disease control strategies and the introduction of plant pathology as a discipline in Indian Universities. It also highlights the present status of plant pathology in India giving an overview of the developments made in the past over years. Though the chapter by no way is a complete account of the vast ocean of information available on various aspects of the subject, it is anticipated that the historical events covered in this tells the story of Indian plant pathology beginning from the Vedic era to the younger generation and motivate for the greater challenges of the pathological problems ahead. © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2021.
Impact of environmental variables on the isolation, diversity and antibacterial activity of endophytic fungal communities from Madhuca indica Gmel. at different locations in India
(Springer Heidelberg, 2014) Satish K. Verma; Surendra K. Gond; Ashish Mishra; Vijay K. Sharma; Jitendra Kumar; Dheeraj K. Singh; Anuj Kumar; Jyoti Goutam; Ravindra Nath Kharwar
A total of 1,897 isolates of endophytic fungi from Madhuca indica Gmel., representing 40 morphologically distinct fungal taxa were obtained from 2,700 segments of stem, bark and leaf from three different locations (Loc 1, Loc 2 and Loc 3) in Uttar Pradesh, India. Out of 40 taxa, 28 were identified microscopically and the remaining 12 by molecular methods. Coelomycetes (62.41 %) were the most prevalent fungal group followed by hyphomycetes (28.89 %) and ascomycetes (8.70 %). Colonisation frequency (CF) was greater in stem (82.55 %) than in leaf (65.00 %) and bark (63.22 %). Due to the dominance of a few taxa, species richness and Shannon and Simpson diversity indices were lower in stem than in leaf and bark at each location. Interestingly, less rainfall and lower temperatures disfavoured the overall colonisation of fungal endophytes at Loc 2. The stem samples from all locations were very similar in their endophytic composition, whereas bark and leaf samples showed differences. The dominant endophytic fungi isolated were Phomopsis sp. 1 (9.185 %), and Colletotrichum gloeosporioides (7.00 %). Principal component analysis showed 55 % tissue specificity with 51.08 % maximum variance. Antibacterial activity revealed that 58.33 % endophytic fungi were active against at least one or more bacterial pathogens, whereas the crude extract of five endophytic fungi inhibited the growth of five or more than five (50 %) of the pathogens tested. This report illustrates the value of having an adequate sample size from different tissues and different locations for species and chemical diversity in search of novel natural products. © Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg and the University of Milan 2013.
Induction of cryptic and bioactive metabolites through natural dietary components in an endophytic fungus colletotrichum gloeosporioides (Penz.) sacc
(Frontiers Media S.A., 2017) Vijay K. Sharma; Jitendra Kumar; Dheeraj K. Singh; Ashish Mishra; Satish K. Verma; Surendra K. Gond; Anuj Kumar; Namrata Singh; Ravindra N. Kharwar
Grape skin and turmeric extracts having the major components resveratrol and curcumin, respectively, were used for the induction of cryptic and bioactive metabolites in an endophytic fungus Colletotrichum gloeosporioides isolated from Syzygium cumini. The increase in total amount of crude compounds in grape skin and turmeric extract treated cultures was 272.48 and 174.32%, respectively, compared to the untreated control. Among six human pathogenic bacteria tested, the maximum inhibitory activity was found against Aeromonas hydrophila IMS/GN11 while no inhibitory activity was observed against Enterococcus faecalis IMS/GN7. The crude compounds derived from turmeric extract treated cultures showed the highest DPPH free radicals scavenging activity (86.46% inhibition) followed by compounds from grape skin treated cultures (11.80% inhibition) and the control cultures (1.92% inhibition). Both the treatments significantly (p ≤ 0.05) increased the antibacterial and antioxidant activities of crude metabolites compared to the control. HPLC profiling of crude compounds derived from grape skin and turmeric extract treated cultures revealed the presence of additional 20 and 14 cryptic compounds, respectively, compared to the control. These findings advocate the future use of such dietary components in induced production of cryptic and bioactive metabolites. © 2017 Sharma, Kumar, Singh, Mishra, Verma, Gond, Kumar, Singh and Kharwar.