Characterization of Airborne Microbial Pathogens Associated with Crop Plants

WILSON MASIH, Harison Masih, St. John’s Inter College, Hospital Road, Agra, India

     Abstract Number: 354
     Working Group: Bioaerosols

Abstract
Microbes are associated with dust or airborne particles like fragments, fibers, cells and spores of microorganisms that were present as bioaerosol is a collection of particles suspended on the surface of plants, these dust particle settled and cause infection in plants, they are potential sources of pathogenic microorganisms that can grow and damage plant parts the by causing infections that affect the agro-economic sector of that Geographical reason. The various microorganisms and viroid are known to cause severe plant diseases, in the present study the dust samples were collected with sterilized cotton swabs and the samples were transferred on culture media (PDA and NA) plates and incubated for 5-7 days at 30ºC for fungi and 24 to 48hours at 28ºC for growth of bacteria and pure culture isolates (fungi and bacteria) were maintained on slants and isolates were identified by gram’s staining, Lacto-phenol and biochemical tests. Plant pathogens such as Alteranria spp., Helminthosporium spp. Fusarium spp, Xanthomonas spp., and Erwinia spp., were found to be associated with tomato fruit, dragon-fruit stem cauliflower leaf and cauliflower curd . Plants are constantly exposed and threatened by various pathogenic microorganisms in the environment. Diseases caused by pathogens, including bacteria, fungi and viruses, cause significant crop losses worldwide. The growth of most plant pathogens is discontinuous because it affects either the pathogen or the host seasonally. These pathogens negatively affect the food quality, nutritional quality and cause food spoilage, reduce yield as well as potential food loss and producing endotoxins and Mycotoxins which pose health problems.