Diversity of Endophytic Fungi Isolated From Plant Leaves of Deciduous Dipterocarp Forest in Tak Province

Abstract

Endophytic fungi were isolated from the leaves of nine tree species from deciduous dipterocarp forest in Tak province during the wet season of 2007 and the dry season of 2008. The tree species were: Shorea obtusa, Shorea siamensis, Careya sphaerica, Morinda elliptica, Anthocephalus chinensis, Grewia eriocarpa, Terminalia chebula, Fermandoa adenophylla and Erythrina subumbrans Healthy plant leaves were prepared by a surface sterilization technique and placed on potato dextrose agar (PDA). Fungal identification was based on colony and morphological characteristics. The frequency of the fungal endophytes isolated was calculated in order to compare the distribution of fungal diversity. Two hundred and thirty one endophytic fungi were isolated from 340 leave segment samples. The diversity of endophytic fungi in the wet season was greater than in the dry season. Mycelia sterilia sp.2 was the most frequent isolate from the leaves of the different plant host species. Moreover, typical endophytic fungi
genera, such as Phomopsis sp., Nigrospora sp., Fusarium sp., Pestalothiopsis sp. and Xylaria sp. were commonly found in this deciduous dipterocarp forest.