Identification of Limiting Factors for the Optimum Growth of Fusarium oxysporum in Liquid Medium

Fusarium oxysporum is a highly ubiquitous species that infects a wide range of hosts causing various diseases such as vascular wilts, yellows, rots, and damping-off. Despite the immense economic significance of this phytopathogen, few workers have reported growth studies in this genus in submerged culture. In the present study, several parameters such as change in media pH, biomass, pattern of substrate utilization, viability of the fungal cells, and protein content were observed over a period of time. The fungal biomass increased at a slow rate for the initial 48 h and thereafter increased at an exponential rate. However, after about 8 days the rapid growth stabilized and the trend became more toward stationary phase. The concentration of glucose in the liquid media decreased rapidly up to the initial 4 days, followed by a slow decrease. The pH of the medium gradually decreased as the fungal growth progressed, the reduction being more pronounced in the initial 48 h. This study would be of immense importance for utilization of F. oxysporum for diverse applications because we can predict the growth pattern in the fungus and modulate its growth for human benefit.