Studies on the diversity of coprophilous microfungi from hybrid cow dung samples

Saprophytic and corprophilous fungal flora on dung samples of different hybrid cow in Lawspet area of puducherry, India was studied by moist chamber method during 2014-15. During the isolation and identification of fungi from hybrid cow dung samples, 16 species under 7 genera of hyphomycetous fungi were isolated with 44 isolates from the dung samples. Aspergilli and penicilli were dominated among all the isolates from the hybrid cow dung, but the populations of aspergilli were more in the dung samples in comparison to penicilli. Aspergillus niger was recorded with the maximum (20.45%) followed by Aspergillus fumigatus (11.36%) and Aspergillus ochraceus (9.09%). Other saprophytic fungi were recorded at minimal concentrations. Absidia sp., Curvularia intermedia, Drechslera sp., Rhizopus stolonifer and Saccharomyces cerevisiae were also observed from the dung samples during the study period. Relative occurrence of the isolated fungi from the dung samples showed the incidence of each fungus in the dung samples as well as its distribution in the dung. Aspergilli were recorded with seven species viz., Aspergillus awamori, A. flavus, A. fumigatus, A. niger, A. ochraceus, A. sydowii and A. terreus and penicilli were recorded with four species viz., Penicillium chrysogenum, P. digitatum, P. notatum and P. purpurogenum.