The host range of multi-host endophytic fungi

Abstract

Mature leaves of 224 angiosperm plant species belonging to 60 families and growing in Andaman Islands, and the states of Arunachal Pradesh, Kerala and Tamil Nadu were sampled for the presence of endophytic fungi. Fungal genera such as Alternaria, Arthrinium, Aureobasidium, Chaetomium, Cladosporium, Glomerella/ Colletotrichum, Drechslera, Fusarium, Fusicoccum, Lasiodiplodia, Paecilomyces, Pestalotiopsis, Phoma, Diaporthe/Phomopsis, Guignardia/Phyllosticta, Sporormiella and Xylaria showed an isolation frequency of 5% or more. Species of Colletotrichum, Phyllosticta, Phomopsis and Xylaria occurred as endophytes in the leaves of many plant hosts including those that were taxonomically not closely related. The need to address the broad host range of some genera of fungal endophytes is discussed.