Endophyte-mediated biocontrol of herbaceous and non-herbaceous plants

Abstract

All plants in natural ecosystems appear to be symbiotic with endophytes. This includes many economically important agricultural products as well as essential food crops. The endophytes confer fitness benefits to their hosts in various and variable aspects such as growth enhancement and increased reproductive success and confer tolerance to biotic and abiotic stresses. In this chapter we will focus on the biocontrol activity of endophytes, i.e., the biological effects of endophytes on herbaceous or non-herbaceous host plants and the mechanisms, if known, by which the endophytes increase the fitness of their hosts.