Indigenous strains of Trichoderma species isolated from rhizosphere soils of Tea gardens of Assam, north eastern state of India were assessed for in vitro antagonism against two important tea fungal pathogens namely Pestalotia theae and Fusarium solani. A potent antagonist against both tea pathogenic fungi, designated as SDRLIN1, was selected and identified as Trichoderma viride. The strain also showed substantial antifungal activity against five standard phytopathogenic fungi. Culture filtrate collected from stationary growth phase of the antagonist demonstrated a significantly higher degree of inhibitory activity against all the test fungi, demonstrating the presence of an optimal blend of extracellular antifungal metabolites. Moreover, quantitative enzyme assay of exponential and stationary culture filtrates revealed that the activity of cellulase, β-1,3-glucanase, pectinase, and amylase was highest in the exponential phase, whereas the activity of proteases and chitinase was noted highest in the stationary phase. Morphological changes such as hyphal swelling and distortion were also observed in the fungal pathogen grown on potato dextrose agar containing stationary phase culture filtrate. Moreover, the antifungal activity of the filtrate was significantly reduced but not entirely after heat or proteinase K treatment, demonstrating substantial role of certain unknown thermostable antifungal compound(s) in the inhibitory activity.

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The clinical manifestations and severity of Simulium dermatitis are serious matters of concern in hypersensitive persons.

The present study demonstrated that the mode of action of the anticoagulant(s) is mainly on the inhibition of thrombin and factor Xa along with other target factors of the coagulation cascade.

Considering the increasing demand of wild edible mushrooms and to sustain regular supply throughout the year, the indigenous mushroom species consumed by the ethnic tribes of Assam was collected from their natural habitat during the month of May, 2019. Germplasm of the species, identified as Pleurotus pulmonarius was isolated and successfully domesticated using sawdust and paddy straw as substrates. Complete substrate colonization at 2% spawn rate was observed after 2-3 weeks of inoculation. Biological efficiency of 32.8 ± 1.39 to 69.2 ± 0.72was observed in domestication trials during the period of experimentation. Proximate analysis of the cultivated fruiting bodies revealed the presence of crude protein content 9.48g, crude fat 0.80g, carbohydrate 77.02g and crude fiber 34.30g/100g. No major difference in nutrient contents has been observed between cultivated and wild one. A year round cultivation trial was carried out to ensure regular source of nutrition and avenue for income generation. The successful domestication of this native species is a stepping-stone towards the cultivation of more wild edible species, consumed by the ethnic tribes of this region.