Page 336 - e-Book

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

For the present investigation, altogether 68 soil samples were collected from various
localities; comprising different agro- practices such as sugarcane, wheat, cotton, onion,

soybean, maize etc. for the isolation of soil blue-green algal microflora from Godavari river
belt of Kopargaon tahsil. The isolated species were taxonomically enumerated and analysed

for their relative abundance.
In all 18 blue- green algal species belonging to order Nostocales and family

Nostocaceae were identified (Plates- I & II). Their taxonomical characterization was made by

using standard literature following Desikachary (1959). Soil from rainfed areas showed
presence of 01 Cylindrospermum, 04 Nostoc and 03 Anabaena species while irrigated areas

showed 01 Cylindrospermum, 12 Nostoc and 05 Anabaena species.

The order Nostocales represented by 03 genera. Among Nostocales, family
Nostocaceae represented by 3 genera and 18 species. These are Cylindrospermum (1), Nostoc

(12) and Anabaena (5).
The large number of blue-green algal species were obtained from soil cultures from

irrigated areas rather than rainfed areas. As far as distribution of the blue-green algal species
is concerned, the following categories were made based on their percentage of relative

abundance (Table- 3.1 and 3.2):

below 15% - 03 species, below 20% - 09 species, below 25% - 06 species,
Among the isolated taxa, Cylindrospermum musicola, Nostoc punctiforme, Nostoc

linckia, Nostoc sporangiaeforme, Nostoc calcicola, Anabaena oryzae, Anabaena fertilissima
and Anabaena orientalis were abundant and recorded consistently from the study area.

Taxonomical account of soil Blue-green algae
The present investigation has explored the occurrence and distribution of blue-green algal

species particularly Family Nostocaceae in the Godavari river belt of Kopargaon tehsil. Notes

on the distribution of studied blue-green algal species in India along with authors own
observations and comments are given after the taxonomic account of each species. To avoid

mere repetitions, only distant references are cited under the distribution of the species

described.
Division : Cyanophyta

Class : Cyanophyceae Sachs,
Order: Nostocales Geitler

Family: Nostocaceae Kuetzing
Cylindrospermum Kuetz.

326