Ten Useful Penicillium Species

Penicillium species have saprophytic live on plants debris, in the soil and also on some plant products, fresh and juicy damaged fruits as well as the storage fruit and grains. They can characterized by studying the features of their colony, conidiophores, phialids and conidia on selective culture media. The ability of some isolates of P. aurantiogriseum, P. bilaiae, P. chrysogenum, P. citrinum, P. funiculosus, P. glabrum, P. griseofulvum, P. oxalicum, P. purpurogenum and P. simplicissimum to control plants diseases such as Fusarium and Verticillium wilt of tomato, pulse white and gray molds, brown rot and blight twig of peach, late blight and cyst of potato has been proved. They also can act as plant growth promoter. Key morphological characteristics of these ten species of Penicillium is described in this paper. Most of these species are reported from Iran, thus identification and use of the efficient isolates of them can be suggested in management of plants diseases or in enhancement of plants growth programs.