Endophytic fungi in shoot tip of the pejibaye cultivated in vivo and in vitro

Abstract

Losses of micropropagated plants occur in its majority due to presence of microorganisms responsible for plant death both in culture beginning and plant establishment in field. Two years in vitro cultivated pejibaye shoot tips, showed the presence of fungi colonies after transference for new culture medium. This paper aimed at identifying fungi, by classical taxonomy and by molecular methods, present in shoot tip of healthy pejibaye plants, cultivated in the field, and to compare them with isolated ones of in vitro plants. The isolates of endophytic fungi community of the in vitro plants were Fusarium oxysporum, Neotyphodium sp. and Epicoccum nigrum; from the in vivo plants were Fusarium sp., F. proliferatum, F. oxysporum, Colletotrichum sp., Alternaria gaisen, Neotyphodium sp. and E. nigrum. The seven species of fungi were reinoculated in host plant, revealing different behaviour. Neotyphodium sp. and E. nigrum established an endophytic interaction with the host; the other fungi acted as pathogens causing decrease in seedlings development when compared to the non-inoculated plants. Species acting as endophytes present a potential use in biocontrol of pejibaye pathogens.