The present investigation is focused on exploring the possibilities of identifying biomolecules from the fruiting body of the medicinal mushroom Ganoderma lucidum against the mango anthracnose pathogen Colletotrichum gloeosporioides. The fruiting body (cap and stipe portion) of G. lucidum extracted with ethyl acetate solvent at a maximum inhibitory concentration of 1 percent exhibited the maximum mycelial growth inhibition of C. gloeosporioides with 70.10 percent and 40.77 percent, respectively. Furthermore, subjecting the ethyl acetate extracts from the cap portion of G. lucidum through thin layer chromatography (TLC) revealed the presence of two bands with Rf values of 0.38 and 0.35. The compounds eluted from band 1 recorded with the maximum mycelial growth inhibition of C. gloeosporioides by 53.77 percent followed by band 2 (46.33 percent) using an agar well diffusion test. Similarly, the analysis of ethyl acetate extracts from the cap portion of G. lucidum through Gas Chromatography-Mass spectroscopy (GC-MS) revealed the presence of the organoheterocyclic compound benzothiazole, as expressed in the highest peak area at 22.03 RT with the highest probability percentage (97%). Confirmation of the antifungal nature of benzothiazole was obtained by testing the standard sample of benzothiazole which showed a cent percent of inhibition on mycelial growth of C. gloeosporioides at 50 ppm minimum fungicidal concentration. Furthermore, benzothiazole caused abnormality in the mycelial structures, viz., distortion, shrinkage, clumping of mycelium, conidial malformation, and complete arrestment of conidial germination of C. gloeosporioides as observed through Scanning Electron Microscopy. The research on biomolecular extract of G. lucidum could be a novel and interesting concept for the possibility in suppression of plant pathogenic microbes in the natural field.

In this study, the volatilomes of naturally growing plant leaves were immobilized in a suitable substrate to enhance vapors’ diffusion in the soil to eradicate the Fusarium wilt pathogens in Tomato. Volatilomes produced by Mentha spicata leaves immobilized in vermiculite ball was found to be effective and exhibit 92.35 percent inhibition on the mycelial growth of Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici (FOL). Moreover, the volatilomes of M. spicata immobilized vermiculite balls were tested based on the distance traveled by the diffused volatilomes from the ball and revealed that the volatilomes of M. spicata traveled up to 20 cm distance from the center of PVC (Polyvinly chloride) chamber showed maximum reduction in colony growth of FOL at 12th day after inoculation. Tomato plants inoculated with FOL revealed increased expressions of defense gene, pathogenesis related protein (PR1) with 2.63-fold after 72 h and the gene, transcription factor (WRKY) increased with 2.5-fold after 48 h on exposure to the volatilomes of M. spicata vermiculite balls. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report on development of volatilomes based vermiculite ball formulations. This result indicated that the volatilomes of M. spicata are promising phyto-fumigants for management of Tomato Fusarial wilt.

Milky mushroom (Calocybe indica) also known as tropical mushroom or summer mushroom has significant attributes of milky white colour with high nutritive value and long shelf life. The yield performance of milky mushrooms again depends on the secretion of lignocellulolytic enzymes that further influence the colonization of mycelium on the substrates. In the present study, organic supplements viz. cakes of cotton, groundnut, sesamum, coconut cake, neem cake, powdered moth bean, red gram, horse gram, green gram, soya bean, lab-lab, maize, rice bran and wheat bran amended at 1% and 5% concentration induced profuse mycelial growth and enhanced ligninolytic enzyme secretion by Calocybe indica under in vitro conditions. The results revealed that wheat bran and red gram supplements at 5 % concentration in PDA medium were found to influence the mycelial growth on the 7th day (68.67 mm and 62.33 mm respectively). Similarly, both wheat bran and red gram supplements at 5 % in liquid medium supported increase in the biomass production of C. indica on the 15th day (1.83 and 1.40 g) followed by horse gram. The influence of organic supplements on the induction of lignocellulolytic activity showed that the maximum cellulase and xylanase activity (1.7 U/min/g and 0.835 U/min/g respectively) and laccase activity (1.6 U/min/g) were noticed in the substrate supplemented with wheat bran followed by horse gram (1.3 U/min/g) at 5% concentration under solid-state fermentation. However, the lignin peroxidase activity was maximum (0.59 U/min/g) in combination with wheat bran (2.5%) and red gram (2.5%) and manganese peroxidase activity was maximum in wheat bran supplement (0.3 U/min/g) at 5% concentration. It is inferred that amending organic supplements viz. wheat bran, horse gram and red gram to substrates enhance the mycelial growth, biomass production and lignocellulolytic enzyme secretion of C. indica and offers scope for yield improvement.