Damping off is a very serious disease in many field crops including chilli and its biological control has gained significance in recent times due to ill effects of chemicals. The effect of thermophilic bacterium, Bacillus licheniformis was evaluated to control Pythium aphanidermatum induced damping off in chilli (Capsicum annuum L.) under laboratory as well as pot culture conditions. B. licheniformis suppressed the growth of P. aphanidermatum equally as Trichoderma harzianum under laboratory conditions by dual culture technique. B. licheniformis treatment was at par with T. harzianum when studied in pot cultures. There was 81.18% and 83.16% inhibition of disease causing P. aphanidermatum with respect to infected control pots with B. licheniformis and T. harzianum, respectively. B. licheniformis used in present study is thermophilic in nature and hence the study has relevance in the context of failure of T. harzianum at higher temperature.

Phellorinia herculeana is an edible mushroom growing in nutritionally poor and desert soil. There has been little information available about its edaphic and culturing conditions for achieving the vigorous mycelial growth essential for its artificial cultivation, bioaugmentation and biodegradation in unfertile soil. Thus, the present study was conducted to assess its edaphic conditions and find a suitable culturing medium for obtaining maximum growth. It grows commonly in coastal soil with saline conditions, barren land soil unfit for cultivation, and desert soil. It forms a basidiocarp singly around xerophytic trees and annual plants and also in soil without vegetation. In addition to a well-developed pileus and stipe, it has a typical rhizoid that grows horizontally in soil. The rhizoid was thick at the base of the stipe and became thin into the mycelial strand. In our earlier study, we reported that its mycelial growth was very poor on nutrient-rich media containing simple sugar, for example, glucose. In the present study, we observed that cereal-grain-based agar media supported its mycelial growth and among the cereal-grain-based agar media, maize agar medium at the 5% level supported the maximum mycelial growth. Incorporation of glucose into the maize agar medium reduced its mycelial growth compared to its growth on maize agar medium without glucose. Its mycelial growth was at a maximum between 34 °C and 37 °C and at a pH between 7 and 8. Mass multiplication using sand-maize medium prepared at the ratio of 19:1 (sand: maize) supported the maximum mycelial growth. The results of this study would certainly pave a way for the scientific community to develop a protocol for its artificial cultivation and also for its mass multiplication, bioaugmentation and biodegradation in unfertile soil.