The cyanobacterium Nostoc strain ATCC 53789, a known cryptophycin producer, was tested for its potential as a source of natural pesticides. The antibacterial, antifungal, insecticidal, nematocidal, and cytotoxic activities of methanolic extracts of the cyanobacterium were evaluated. Among the target organisms, nine fungi (Armillaria sp., Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. melonis, Penicillium expansum, ...

Medicinal plants are infected by fungal diseases. A four years survey indicated that, there are various fungal infections in roots and shoots of several medicinal plants that grown in Isfahan. Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia), rosemarry (Rosmarinus officinalis) and viper’s bugloss (Borago officinalis) plants were infected by Fusarium oxysporum and F. solani on roots, showing wilting and eventu...

Conidia of Verticillium albo-atrum Reinke and Berthold, collected from shake cultures grown in Czapek broth, were sonified for 4 or 8 minutes or ground frozen in a mortar to obtain cell-free homogenates. These were assayed for certain enzymes associated with respiratory pathways. Malic dehydrogenase was the most active, glucose-6-P and NADH dehydrogenase were less active, NADH-cytochrome c redu...

Conidia were germinated at three temperatures in media in which available water, expressed as water activity, was controlled at three levels. Rate of germination in the basal medium (0.9964 water activity) was most rapid at 25 C and was inhibited at 15 and 30 C. Lowering the water activity at a particular temperature decreased rates of germination. However, at a low water activity (0.9778) germ...