Seasonal variations in the aeromycoflora from semiurban and urban sites at nagpur (M.S.), India

An outdoor survey of air borne fungal spores was conducted at two different sites at Nagpur, India viz., semiurban (site I) and urban (site II), during February 2006 to January 2007 using Rotorod air sampler. Aeromycoflora was observed throughout the year but their percentage of occurrence varies due to meteorological factors. A total of 56 fungal types were recorded from a total catch of 65,480 spores/m3 of air from site I. The percentage of taxonomic groups of fungi was Ascomycotina (1.71%), Basidiomycotina (8.16%) and Deuteromycotina (90.13%). Among them, Cladosporium (34.21%) was the most dominant fungal type followed by Alternaria (20.25%), Nigrospora (12.87%), Aspergilli (6.96%), Curvularia (5.74%) and Smuts (4.98%).While from site II, 46 fungal types were recorded from total 34,720 spores/m3. Four major groups namely Mastigomycotina (0.27%), Basidiomycotina (12.23%), Ascomycotina (1.99%), Deuteromycotina (85.51%) were observed. The major fungal types in the order of dominance were Cladosporium (33.15%), Alternaria (21.36%), Nigrospora (8.90%), Smuts (8.89%), Aspergilli (6.13%) and Curvularia (4.95%). The occurrence of fungal spores was correlated with climatic conditions. An attempt was made to forecast atmospheric fungal concentration in the study area.