ABSTRACT

A total of 21 isolates of Fusarium sp. were isolated from soil samples collected from an area of mangrove forest in Pichavaram, Tamil nadu, India.  The isolates were isolated using soil dilution, direct isolation and debris isolation techniques. Based on identification using morphological characteristics, Fusarium oxysporum was identified. The extracellular production of silver nanoparticles by the fungus Fusarium oxysporum was investigated. It was found that exposure of Fusarium oxysporum to silver ion leads to the formation of silver nanoparticles. The silver nanoparticles were in the range of 5-60nm in dimension. The nanoparticles were examined using UV-Visible spectroscopy, scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), X-ray Diffractometer (XRD), and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis. The formation of nanoparticles by this method is extremely rapid, undertaken in ambient conditions and synthesized nanoparticles are stable for several months in the absence of light.

Keywords : Mangrove soil; Fusarium oxysporum; Silver nanoparticles; Chacterization of nano particles