Journal of Environmental Biology

Distribution and antimicrobial potential of endophytic fungi associated with ethnomedicinal plant Melastoma malabathricum L.

Vineet Kumar Mishra¹, Garima Singh¹, Ajit Kumar Passari¹, Mukesh Kumar Yadav², Vijai Kumar Gupta³

and Bhim Pratap Singh¹*

¹Department of Biotechnology, Mizoram University, Aizawl-796 004, India

²Korea University College of Medicine, Korea University, Seoul, 02841, South Korea

³Molecular Glyco-biotechnology Group, Department of Biochemistry, National University of Ireland Galway, Galway, H91CF50, Ireland

*Corresponding Author E-mail: bhimpratap@gmail.com

Publication Data

Paper received:

06 February 2015

Revised received:

17 August 2015

Re-revised received:

29 September 2015

Accepted:

03 November 2015

Abstract

Distributions of endophytic fungi associated with ethnomedicinal plant Melastoma malabathricum L. was studied and 91 isolates belonging to 18 genera were recovered. The isolates were distributed to sordariomycetes (62.63%), dothideomycetes (19.78%), eurotiomycetes (7.69%), zygomycetes (4.19%), agaricomycetes (1.09%), and mycelia sterilia (4.39%). Based on colony morphology and examination of spores, the isolates were classified into 18 taxa, of which Colletotrichum, Phomopsis and Phoma were dominant, their relative frequencies were 23.07%, 17.58% and 12.08% respectively. The colonization rate of endophytic fungi was determined and found to be significantly higher in leaf segments (50.76%), followed by root (41.53%) and stem tissues (27.69%). All the isolates were screened for antimicrobial activity and revealed that 26.37% endophytic fungi were active against one or more pathogens. Twenty four isolates showing significant antimicrobial activity were identified by sequencing the ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 region of rRNA gene. Results indicated that endophytic fungi associated with leaf were functionally versatile as they showed antimicrobial activity against most of the tested pathogens. The endophytic fungi Diaporthe phaseolorum var. meridionalis (KF193982) inhibited all the tested bacterial pathogens, whereas, Penicillium chermesinum (KM405640) displayed most significant antifungal activity. This seems to be the first hand report to understand the distribution and antimicrobial ability of endophytic fungi from ethno-medicinal plant M. malabathricum. ????  

 Key words

Antimicrobial activity, Colonization frequency, Endophytic fungi, Melastoma malabathricum

Copyright ? 2016 Triveni Enterprises. All rights reserved. No part of the Journal can be reproduced in any form without prior permission. Responsibility regarding the authenticity of the data, and the acceptability of the conclusions enforced or derived, rest completely with the author(s).