ANATOMICAL STUDIES ON THE ASSOCIATION OF ENDOPHYTIC FUNGI AND THEIR ISOLATION FROM ALANGIUM SALVIIFOLIUM (L.f.) Wangerin

Abstract

The present research was carried out to determine the anatomical features of leaves of Alangium salviifolium and their endophytic fungal association. Alangium salviifolium is an important medicinal plant with various activities reported. It is suggested that the medicinal property of the plant is either because of their endophytes or the endophytes inherit the medicinal properties from their host plant. Hence the detailed study of plant- microbe interaction is important. The anatomical features revealed the fungal mycelium in the ground cells of the abaxial midrib, the adaxial segment of xylem in the midrib. In the T.S of lamina, fungal hyphae are seen in the epidermis and also in the mesophyll tissue beneath the epidermal layer. Three endophytic fungi namely Aspergillus niger, Diaporthe longicolla and Schizophyllum commune were isolated and characterized using their ITS region.