Endophytic Aspergillus species from corn kernels in Peninsular Malaysia

Abstract

Endophytes are micro-organisms that infect and colonize internal tissues of host plants without causing obvious disease symptoms. Although most endophyte-plant relationships occur in the absence of the manifestation of disease, infections by some endophytic Aspergillus species may occur, leading to the production of mycotoxins in infected plant tissues by toxigenic species. In this study, endophytic Aspergillus species from kernels of corn plants in six states of Peninsular Malaysia were isolated and identified. A total of 178 isolates of endophytic Aspergillus belonging to two species, were recovered from surface disinfected corn kernels after 4-7 days of incubation on Potato Dextrose Agar (PDA), and identified using morphological characteristics on different growth media. Endophytic Aspergillus flavus was the most commonly isolated species (n=177), followed by Aspergillus tubingensis (n=1). Measures to control seed infection by endophytic Aspergillus species are required to improve corn seed health and preserve corn yield in Peninsular Malaysia.