ISOLATION AND IDENTIFICATION OF FUNGI ASSOCIATED WITH FOREST TREE SEEDS AND THEIR FUNGAL FILTRATE EFFECTS ON GERMINATION RATE IN SULAIMANI GOVERNORATE

Abstract

This study was conducted to isolate fungi were associated with seeds of some species forest tress and effect of fungal culture filtrates on germination rate. Samples of the forest tree seeds were collected from different locations in Sulaimani Governorate including Hewary Shar and Sarchnar from Sulaimani center and Derbendikhan and Dokan and Rania out of city center. Thirteen different fungal species were isolated and identified as; Alternaria alternate, Ascochyta sp., Aspergillus flavus, A. niger, Cladosporium sp., Fusarium oxysporum, Helminthosporium sp., Rhizoctonia sp , Rhizopus stolonifour, Penicillium sp, Pythium sp., Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, Stemphyllium sp., and. Among these, R. stolonifour of isolated from Sarchnar nursery and A. flavus isolated of Derbendikhan nursery had the highest frequency of occurrence (46.67%) while both Fusarium oxysporum and S. sclerotiorum had the lowest frequency of occurrence (6.67%) isolated from Derbendikhan nursery. Seeds of Albizia (Albizi alebbeck) and Honey locust (Gledisia triacanthos) were soaked in culture filtrates of A. flavus and Penicillium sp. respectively and seeds of Albizia (A. lebbeck), Acacia (Acacia matius) and Persian lilac (Melia azedarach) were soaked in the culture filtrates of S. sclerotiorum and A. alternata and Fusarium oxysporum respectively. The result showed the lowest percentage of germination rate was after 48 hours of incubation with significant different as compare to control treatment. A total inhabitation of seed germination was also detected for F. oxysporum