The Potency of endophytic fungi from the bark of Syzygium cumini (L.) Skeels as antifungal agents

Abstract

The bark of Syzygium cumini is potential as an antimicrobial agent, so this bark is a reservoir of endophytic fungi. The purpose of this study was to isolate endophytic fungi and determine its antifungal activity. Several methods used in this research are surface sterilization, endophytic isolation on plain media and media containing host plant, morphology identification of endophytic fungi and determine antifungal activity. Thirteen endophytic fungi have been isolated from the bark of S. cumini, in which seven and six endophytic fungi grow on the plain media and media containing host plants, respectively. Based on the morphology identification, these endophytic fungi include the genus Phomopsis, Colletotrichum and Aspergillus. Seven endophytic fungi displayed antifungal activity against pathogenic microorganisms. The results demonstrated that endophytic fungi isolate from S. cumini bark could be a source of antifungal agents.