ABSTRACT
The genus Piriformospora indica was discovered from the rhizospheric soil of two xerophytic plants, namely, Prosopis juliflora and Zizyphus nummularia (Verma et al., 1998). It was recovered from the desert of the state of Rajasthan in India. The genus belongs to Basidiomycota. During the screening of glomaceous fungi for their growth on agar medium, this fungus grew with scanty mycelium and later formed typically pear-shaped spores, and thus was named P. indica (Verma et al., 1998). Being a potential plant growth booster, the fungus has attracted researchers all over the world to harness its fullest potential in the field of sustainable agriculture. A review of the literature suggests that a significant contribution has been made on various aspects of P. indica with particular reference to its growth-promoting potential (Hindav et al., 1998; Sahay et al., 1998; Varma, 1998; Sahay, 1999; Sudha, 1998; Varma, Verma, et al., 1999; Varma, Sudha, et al., 1999; Bütehorn et al., 2000; Rai et al. 2000; Sahay and Varma, 2000; Rai et al., 2001; Singh, Singh, et al. 2001; Singh, Hampp, and Varma, 2001; Kumari, 2002; Malla et al., 2002; Rai and Varma, 2002; Singh et al., 2002; Singh, Singh, et al., 2003; Singh, Rexer, et al., 2003).
