Molecular Phylogeny of Endophytic Fungi from Rattan (Calamus castaneus Griff.) Spines and Their Antagonistic Activities against Plant Pathogenic Fungi

Abstract

Calamus castaneus is a common rattan palm species in the tropical forests of Peninsular Malaysia and is noticeable by the yellow-based spines that cover the stems. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of fungal endophytes within C. castaneus spines and whether they inhibit the growth of fungal pathogens. Twenty-one genera with 40 species of fungal endophytes were isolated and identified from rattan palm spines. Based on molecular identification, the most common isolates recovered from the spines were Colletotrichum (n = 19) and Diaporthe spp. (n = 18), followed by Phyllosticta spp., Xylaria sp., Trichoderma spp., Helminthosporium spp., Penicillium spp., Fusarium spp., Neopestalotiopsis spp., Arthrinium sp., Cyphellophora sp., Cladosporium spp., Curvularia sp., Bionectria sp., and Acremonium spp. Non-sporulating fungi were also identified, namely Nemania primolutea, Pidoplitchkoviella terricola, Muyocopron laterale, Acrocalymma fici, Acrocalymma medicaginis, and Endomelanconiopsis endophytica. The isolation of these endophytes showed that the spines harbor endophytic fungi. Most of the fungal endophytes inhibited the growth of several plant pathogenic fungi, with 68% of the interactions resulting in mutual inhibition, producing a clear inhibition zone of <2 mm. Our findings demonstrate the potential of the fungal endophytes from C. castaneus spines as biocontrol agents.

Deposition of Daldinia starbaeckii (ELF) functionalized silver nanoparticles on Urinary catheter tube using chitosan polymer to prevent bacterial biofilms formation during UTI infection

“…The phylogenetic tree was constructed with the help of MEGA-X (Molecular Evolution Genetic Analysis) software. "BLAST search" (https://blast.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/Blast.cgi) was used to compare the maximum similarity of nucleotide sequences (consensus sequences) and recognition of correct ELF species (Rahaman et al 2020;Azuddin et al 2021).…”

Fungal Endophytes and Their Role in Agricultural Plant Protection against Pests and Pathogens

“…Other studies use a different approach to determine the specific antifungal compounds that may control plant pathogens. In these studies, the fungal endophytic diversity of a host plant species is characterized, and endophyte cultures are selected for dual culture assays to assess antagonism against known pathogens of the host plant [ 44 , 61 , 62 , 63 , 64 ]. Antagonism against pathogens is primarily determined by the presence of inhibition zones between the endophytic and pathogenic fungi, or the ability of the endophytic fungi to overgrow the pathogenic fungi [ 61 , 62 , 65 , 66 , 67 ].…”

“…In these studies, the fungal endophytic diversity of a host plant species is characterized, and endophyte cultures are selected for dual culture assays to assess antagonism against known pathogens of the host plant [ 44 , 61 , 62 , 63 , 64 ]. Antagonism against pathogens is primarily determined by the presence of inhibition zones between the endophytic and pathogenic fungi, or the ability of the endophytic fungi to overgrow the pathogenic fungi [ 61 , 62 , 65 , 66 , 67 ]. Cultures showing anti-pathogen activities undergo compound extraction and analysis with liquid chromatography or gas spectrometry run in tandem with a mass spectrometry [ 59 , 60 , 68 ].…”

“…Cultures showing anti-pathogen activities undergo compound extraction and analysis with liquid chromatography or gas spectrometry run in tandem with a mass spectrometry [ 59 , 60 , 68 ]. The results of such studies aid in the identification of candidate endophyte species, which can be further investigated for their biocontrol potential, and consistently show that antagonists of pathogens are an inherent part of the plant microbiome [ 61 , 62 , 69 , 70 ]. The antifungal activities of compounds produced by some endophytes have been studied for their mode of effectiveness against several different pathogenic fungi and their ability to increase host plant fitness [ 44 ].…”

Diversity, detection and exploitation: linking soil fungi and plant disease

“…Dual-culture assays between the fungal endophytic community of a plant and its known pathogens have become a popular approach to identifying potential biocontrol fungal strains and secreted bioactive metabolites [27][28][29]. A nice example is given by the endophytic isolate Hypoxylon rubiginosum, which shows striking activities in dual culture with the Ash dieback pathogen Hymenoscyphus fraxineus.…”