Fungal endophyte assemblages from ethnopharmaceutically important medicinal trees

Endophytic fungi represent an interesting group of microorganisms associated with the healthy tissues of terrestrial plants. They represent a large reservoir of genetic diversity. Fungal endophytes were isolated from the inner bark segments of ethnopharmaceutically important medicinal tree species, namely Terminalia arjuna, Crataeva magna, Azadirachta indica, Holarrhena antidysenterica, Terminalia chebula, and Butea monosperma (11 individual trees), growing in different regions of southern India. Forty-eight fungal species were recovered from 2200 bark segments. Mitosporic fungi represented a major group (61%), with ascomycetes (21%) and sterile mycelia (18%) the next major groups. Species of Fusarium, Pestalotiopsis, Myrothecium, Trichoderma, Verticillium, and Chaetomium were frequently isolated. Exclusive fungal taxa were recovered from five of the six plant species considered for the study of endophytic fungi. Rarefaction indices for species richness indicated the highest expected number of species for bark segments were isolated from T. arjuna and A. indica (20 species each) and from C. magna (18 species).Key words: bark, endophytes, medicinal trees, southern India.

Download Full-text

Revealing the endophytic mycoflora in tea (Camellia sinensis) leaves in Sri Lanka: the first comprehensive study

Phytotaxa ◽

10.11646/phytotaxa.514.3.5 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 514 (3) ◽

pp. 247-260

Author(s):

KASUN THAMBUGALA ◽

DINUSHANI DARANAGAMA ◽

SAGARIKA KANNANGARA ◽

THENUKA KODITUWAKKU

Keyword(s):

Sri Lanka ◽

Camellia Sinensis ◽

Endophytic Fungi ◽

Sequence Data ◽

Fungal Endophytes ◽

Fungal Endophyte ◽

Tea Leaves ◽

Molecular Sequence Data ◽

Molecular Sequence ◽

Rdna Sequence Data

Endophytic fungi are a diverse group of microorganisms that live asymptomatically in healthy tissues of host and they have been reported from all kinds of plant tissues such as leaves, stems, roots, flowers, and fruits. In this study, fungal endophytes associated with tea leaves (Camellia sinensis) were collected from Kandy, Kegalle, and Nuwara Eliya districts in Sri Lanka and were isolated, characterized, and identified. A total of twenty endophytic fungal isolates belonging to five genera were recovered and ITS-rDNA sequence data were used to identify them. All isolated endophytic fungal strains belong to the phylum Ascomycota and the majority of these isolates were identified as Colletotrichum species. Phyllosticta capitalensis was the most commonly found fungal endophyte in tea leaves and was recorded in all three districts where the samples were collected. This is the very first investigation on fungal endophytes associated with C. sinensis in Sri Lanka based on molecular sequence data. In addition, a comprehensive account of known endophytic fungi reported worldwide on Camellia sinensis is provided.

Download Full-text

Temporal variations in isolation frequency of endophytic fungi of Japanese beech

Canadian Journal of Botany ◽

10.1139/b98-220 ◽

1999 ◽

Vol 77 (2) ◽

pp. 197-202 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Norio Sahashi ◽

Takanori Kubono ◽

Yukiko Miyasawa ◽

Shin'ichiro Ito

Keyword(s):

Fungal Endophytes ◽

Temporal Variations ◽

Fungal Endophyte ◽

Fagus Crenata ◽

Fungal Species ◽

Organ Specificity ◽

Japanese Beech ◽

Isolation Frequency ◽

Specific Distribution ◽

Unidentified Species

To determine the dominant fungal endophytes of the Japanese beech (Fagus crenata Blume) and to monitor their isolation frequency, we isolated fungi from symptomless organs of beech including leaves, petioles, and current and old (1- to 5-year-old) twigs after surface sterilization. Of the 13 fungal taxa obtained, 3 were isolated most often. An unidentified species of Discula and an unidentified sterile fungus, Lb, were isolated frequently from leaves, and an unidentified species of Phomopsis was isolated most frequently from twigs. The isolation frequency over the growing season varied for the two dominant fungal species in the leaves, Discula sp. and Lb. These two species had similar patterns of isolation, even in petioles and current-year twigs, although isolation frequencies of a given species varied with organs. An organ-specific distribution of the fungal species in the host plant was apparent. The three fungal species noted above were considered to be the dominant endophytes of the Japanese beech.Key words: fungal endophyte, Fagus crenata, isolation frequency, organ specificity.

Download Full-text

Fungal endophytes: isolation and diversity among Nicotiana tabacum (Solanaceae) organs

Acta Botanica Hungarica ◽

10.1556/034.62.2020.1-2.11 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 62 (1-2) ◽

pp. 175-186

Author(s):

M. F. Vianna ◽

S. Pelizza ◽

M. L. Russo ◽

S. Rodriguez ◽

A. C. Scorsetti

Keyword(s):

Nicotiana Tabacum ◽

Fusarium Graminearum ◽

Endophytic Fungi ◽

Relative Frequency ◽

Fungal Endophytes ◽

Fungal Species ◽

Tobacco Plants ◽

Fungal Strains ◽

Starting Point ◽

Stems And Leaves

The diversity of fungal endophytes is poorly known and particularly in the case of Nicotiana tabacum, the literature is limited. The present study assessed and compared the diversity and distribution of endophytic fungi between different organs of tobacco plants. We calculated the relative frequency and rates of colonisation and of isolation of endophytic fungi in roots, stems and leaves, as well as the Shannon–Wiener and Simpson diversity indexes. Similarities between assemblages from the studied organs were also analysed. A total of 1588 endophytic fungal strains assigned to 31 morphospecies were isolated. The highest diversity of endophytes was found in leaves, being Fusarium graminearum and Alternaria botrytis the most common fungal species. This study provides information on the distribution of fungal endophytes inhabiting leaves, stems, and roots of N. tabacum and thus can serve as a starting point for increasing our comprehension on the interactions in which these fungi are involved.

Download Full-text

Biodiversity study of endophytic fungi associated with two Quercus species in Iran

Forest Systems ◽

10.5424/fs/2019281-14528 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 28 (1) ◽

pp. e003

Author(s):

Saied Ghasemi ◽

Sima Khodaei ◽

Kaivan Karimi ◽

Majid Tavakoli ◽

Illaria Pertot ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Endophytic Fungi ◽

Fungal Endophytes ◽

Morphological Characteristics ◽

Fungal Endophyte ◽

Culture Collection ◽

Its Rdna ◽

Chi Square ◽

Quercus Species ◽

Chi Square Test ◽

East Azerbaijan

Aim of study: In this study, frequency and diversity of fungal endophyte communities inhabiting twigs and branches of apparently healthy Q. macranthera and Q. brantii in East Azerbaijan and Lorestan provinces of Iran is presented.Area of study: East Azerbaijan and Lorestan provinces in Iran.Materials and methods: Culturable fungal endophytes were recovered from wood tissues using routine technique for isolation of fungal endophytes. The identity of fungal isolates were determined based on morphological characteristics and sequences data of ITS-rDNA region and Beta-tubulin gene. Frequency and diversity among fungal communities were analyzed using chi-square test and biodiversity indices.Main results: The highest frequency and diversity was detected for fungal endophyte community recovered from Q. macranthera and East Azerbaijan province. The assemblage of endophytic fungi characterized in this study in healthy tissues of oak trees indicates that some of the fungi are possible latent pathogens such as Biscogniauxia mediterranea with 18.28% frequency followed by Alternaria alternata and Trichothecium roseum respectively. Two fungal taxa of Pyronema domesticum and Valsa persoonii are reported for the first time in Iran. Overall, the results of this study show that the plant species and growth location influence frequency and diversity of culturable fungal endophytic communities of Quercus in Iran.Keywords: Quercus macranthera, Quercus brantii, Fungal endophytes, Molecular identification.Abbreviations used: CBS (Centraal Bureau voor Schimmelcultures); CCTU (Culture Collection of University of Tabriz); GTR (General Time Reversible); HKY (Hasegawa Kishino Yano); ITS-rDNA (Internal Transcribed Space); km (kilometer) ; PDA (Potato Dextrose Agar); TUB (Tubulin).

Download Full-text

New Taxon of Fungal Endophytes from Phrynium capitatum Willd: A Promising Ethnomedicinal Plant in Northeast India and its Systematic and Phylogenetic Analysis

Science & Technology Journal ◽

10.22232/stj.2019.07.01.04 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 7 (1) ◽

pp. 29-36

Author(s):

Richa Sharma ◽

◽

Sumpam Tangjang ◽

Amritesh C. Shukla ◽

Keyword(s):

Phylogenetic Analysis ◽

Fungal Endophytes ◽

Northeast India ◽

Fungal Endophyte ◽

Fungal Species ◽

New Taxon ◽

Plant Parts ◽

Analgesic Effects ◽

Ethnomedicinal Plant ◽

Pestalotiopsis Neglecta

The findings of the current study deal with the first time report on the diversity of fungal endophyte from the ethnomedicinal plant- Phrynium capitatum Willd., (Marantaceae). The plant is growing wildly in the forest of Papum Pare, Arunachal Pradesh, India, and traditionally been used for anti-diabetic, antihyperglycemic or analgesic effects. During the investigation, samples of the plant parts, viz., leaves, stem, and roots were collected for isolation of endophytic spp. The endophytic spp were identified based on the morphological, cultural, and reproductive structures (hyaline, ellipsoidal, aseptate, pycnidia, beta conidia, perithecia, asci, and ascospores). Further, the phylogenetic analysis of the isolated species was made, using the sequences of 5.8S and 28S rDNA internal transcribed spacer sequence 1 and 4. The largest number of fungal endophytes (39%) were isolated from the leaves, followed by the roots (31%) and stems (30%). Overall 35 fungal species have been isolated, out of which, thirty-four belongs to the class Ascomycetes, and one from the class zygomycetes. The highest species richness and frequency of colonization were recorded in the leaf. The observations show that Pestalotiopsis longiseta was the most dominant endophytic species followed by Diplodina microsperma, Nodulisporium hinnuleum, Aspergillus flavus , Diaporthe sp., Nigrospora oryzae and Lasiodiplodia viticola. However, Pestalotiopsis neglecta, Sordaria fimicola, Diplodina microsperma, Fusarium incarnatum, Preussia sp., Diaporthe sp., Aureobasidium sp.were common fungal endophytes isolated from P. capitatum

Download Full-text

Preliminary study of endophytic fungi in timothy (Phleum pratense) in Estonia

Acta Mycologica ◽

10.5586/am.2013.006 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 48 (1) ◽

pp. 41-49 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Triin Varvas ◽

Kristina Kasekamp ◽

Bellis Kullman

Keyword(s):

Endophytic Fungi ◽

Fungal Endophytes ◽

Growing Season ◽

Fungal Endophyte ◽

Phleum Pratense ◽

Air Humidity ◽

Free Air ◽

Preliminary Study ◽

Experimental Plots ◽

Isolate Identification

Timothy (Phleum pratense L.) is an important agricultural grass in Europe and North America, but there is little research into the occurrence and abundance of fungal endophyte species associated with this grass. The aim of this study was to identify fungal endophytes living within P. pratense and to determine if additional moisture applied during the growing season increases the diversity of endophytic fungi. We studied 58 isolates obtained from surface-sterilised blades of 60 P. pratense plants collected from Rõka Free Air Humidity Manipulation experimental plots (FAHM), Estonia. Morphological and molecular methods were used for isolate identification. As a result, 45 strains from 10 different taxa were identified, all belonging to Ascomycota. Five species were found to be new to P. pratense.

Download Full-text

Development of Plant–Fungal Endophyte Associations to Suppress Phoma Stem Canker in Brassica

Microorganisms ◽

10.3390/microorganisms9112387 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 (11) ◽

pp. 2387

Author(s):

Davood Roodi ◽

James P. Millner ◽

Craig R. McGill ◽

Richard D. Johnson ◽

Shen-Yan Hea ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Endophytic Fungi ◽

Fungal Endophytes ◽

Leptosphaeria Maculans ◽

Brassica Species ◽

Stem Canker ◽

Fungal Endophyte ◽

Plant Diseases ◽

Growth Stages ◽

Phoma Stem Canker ◽

Pests And Diseases

Endophytic microorganisms are found within the tissues of many plants species, with some conferring several benefits to the host plant including resistance to plant diseases. In this study, two putative endophytic fungi that were previously isolated from wild seeds of Brassica, identified as Beauveria bassiana and Pseudogymnoascus pannorum, were inoculated into cultivars of three Brassica species—Brassica napus, Br. rapa and Br. oleracea. Both fungal endophytes were reisolated from above- and below-ground tissues of inoculated plants at four different plant-growth stages, including cotyledon, one-leaf, two-leaf, and four-leaf stages. None of the plants colonised by these fungi exhibited any obvious disease symptoms, indicating the formation of novel mutualistic associations. These novel plant–endophyte associations formed between Brassica plants and Be. bassiana significantly inhibited phoma stem canker, a devastating disease of Brassica crops worldwide, caused by the fungal pathogen Leptosphaeria maculans. The novel association formed with P. pannorum significantly suppressed the amount of disease caused by L. maculans in one out of two experiments. Although biological control is not a new strategy, endophytic fungi with both antiinsect and antifungal activity are a highly conceivable, sustainable option to manage pests and diseases of economically important crops.

Download Full-text

Foliar fungal endophytes from two species of the mangrove Rhizophora

Canadian Journal of Microbiology ◽

10.1139/w98-087 ◽

1998 ◽

Vol 44 (10) ◽

pp. 1003-1006 ◽

Cited By ~ 53

Author(s):

T S Suryanarayanan ◽

V Kumaresan ◽

J A Johnson

Keyword(s):

Plant Species ◽

Endophytic Fungi ◽

Tamil Nadu ◽

Fungal Endophytes ◽

Southern India ◽

Rhizophora Mucronata ◽

Dry Period ◽

First Report ◽

Mangrove Plants ◽

Rhizophora Apiculata

Endophytic fungi were isolated from leaves of Rhizophora apiculata Bl. and Rhizophora mucronata Lamk., two typical mangrove plants growing in the Pichavaram mangrove of Tamil Nadu, Southern India. Three hundred leaf segments from each plant species were sampled during dry and rainy months. More endophytes could be isolated during the rainy months than during the dry period. Hyphomycetes and sterile forms were more prevalent than ascomycetes or coelomycetes. Sporormiella minima, Acremonium sp. strain MG1 and a sterile fungus (MG90) were isolated from both plants irrespective of the season. Some endophytes were common to both plants, although a few appeared to be host specific. This is the first report on fungal endophytes in leaves of mangrove plants in India.Key words: endophytic fungi, Rhizophora apiculata, Rhizophora mucronata, mangrove, leaves.

Download Full-text

Sequence Analysis of SSR-Flanking Regions Identifies Genome Affinities between Pasture Grass Fungal Endophyte Taxa

International Journal of Evolutionary Biology ◽

10.4061/2011/921312 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 2011 ◽

pp. 1-11 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Eline van Zijll de Jong ◽

Kathryn M. Guthridge ◽

German C. Spangenberg ◽

John W. Forster

Keyword(s):

Ssr Markers ◽

Expressed Sequence Tag ◽

Fungal Endophytes ◽

Morphological Characteristics ◽

Fungal Endophyte ◽

Fungal Species ◽

Current View ◽

Interspecific Hybridisation ◽

Pasture Grass ◽

Flanking Regions

Fungal species of the Neotyphodium and Epichloë genera are endophytes of pasture grasses showing complex differences of life-cycle and genetic architecture. Simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers have been developed from endophyte-derived expressed sequence tag (EST) collections. Although SSR array size polymorphisms are appropriate for phenetic analysis to distinguish between taxa, the capacity to resolve phylogenetic relationships is limited by both homoplasy and heteroploidy effects. In contrast, nonrepetitive sequence regions that flank SSRs have been effectively implemented in this study to demonstrate a common evolutionary origin of grass fungal endophytes. Consistent patterns of relationships between specific taxa were apparent across multiple target loci, confirming previous studies of genome evolution based on variation of individual genes. Evidence was obtained for the definition of endophyte taxa not only through genomic affinities but also by relative gene content. Results were compatible with the current view that some asexual Neotyphodium species arose following interspecific hybridisation between sexual Epichloë ancestors. Phylogenetic analysis of SSR-flanking regions, in combination with the results of previous studies with other EST-derived SSR markers, further permitted characterisation of Neotyphodium isolates that could not be assigned to known taxa on the basis of morphological characteristics.

Download Full-text

Endophytic fungal communities associated with field-grown soybean roots and seeds in the Huang-Huai region of China

PeerJ ◽

10.7717/peerj.4713 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 6 ◽

pp. e4713 ◽

Cited By ~ 11

Author(s):

Hongjun Yang ◽

Wenwu Ye ◽

Jiaxin Ma ◽

Dandan Zeng ◽

Zhenyang Rong ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Stress Tolerance ◽

Endophytic Fungi ◽

Fungal Endophytes ◽

Fungal Endophyte ◽

Disease Suppression ◽

Fungal Communities ◽

Culture Independent ◽

Soybean Roots ◽

Abundant Genus ◽

Culture Dependent

Plants depend on beneficial interactions between roots and fungal endophytes for growth, disease suppression, and stress tolerance. In this study, we characterized the endophytic fungal communities associated with the roots and corresponding seeds of soybeans grown in the Huang-Huai region of China. For the roots, we identified 105 and 50 genera by culture-independent and culture-dependent (CD) methods, respectively, and isolated 136 fungal strains (20 genera) from the CD samples. Compared with the 52 soybean endophytic fungal genera reported in other countries, 28 of the genera we found were reported, and 90 were newly discovered. Even though Fusarium was the most abundant genus of fungal endophyte in every sample, soybean root samples from three cities exhibited diverse endophytic fungal communities, and the results between samples of roots and seeds were also significantly different. Together, we identified the major endophytic fungal genera in soybean roots and seeds, and revealed that the diversity of soybean endophytic fungal communities was influenced by geographical effects and tissues. The results will facilitate a better understanding of soybean–endophytic fungi interaction systems and will assist in the screening and utilization of beneficial microorganisms to promote healthy of plants such as soybean.

Download Full-text