Endophytic fungi from an overlooked plant species: A case study in Kelissa brasiliensis (Baker) Ravenna

Abstract

Studies involving endophytic fungi isolated from endemic plants and their antibacterial potential are largely unknown in the Pampa biome. In this study, we identified endophytic fungi isolated from Kelissa brasiliensis (Iridaceae), an endemic species of the Brazilian Pampa, and assessed their antibacterial activity. Endophytic fungi were first grouped based on macro-and micro-morphology, and one representative of each morphospecies was analyzed using sequences from the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) rDNA region. We then tested the fungal extracts against laboratory isolates of Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli for antibacterial activity. A total of 30 endophytes were isolated from the tissues of K. brasiliensis, with the majority from the leaves. Endophytes were then grouped into seven morphospecies based on their morphological features and one representative from each was selected for phylogenetic analysis. The inference from the ITS rDNA sequences identified the endophytes of the seven selected morphospecies as belonging to six taxonomic groups: Colletotrichum (two), Diaporthe (one), Epicoccum (one), Fusarium (one), and Pestalotiopsis (one). The endophyte extracts revealed better results against E. coli than S. aureus, although the extracts from Colletotrichum and Pestalotiopsis sp. were statistically similar to the control antibiotic. Our study is a basis for endophytic fungi studies in Pampa.

Diversity of endophytic fungi of rice plants in Padang City, Indonesia, entomopathogenic to brown planthopper (Nilaparvata lugens)

“…Endophytic fungi generally can live in plant tissues, colonize them and infect pests concurrently without damaging that plant. The colonization in plant tissue affects the presence of pests and pathogens (Hilarino et al 2011;de Andrade et al 2022). They also can function as soil nutrient distributors, abiotic stress, and drought tolerance enhancers in plants (Bamisile et al 2018).…”