Endophytic Fungi

This book is a printed edition of the Special Issue "Fungal Endophytes in Plants" that was published in JoF

Plant endophytes are a potential source for the production of bioactive compounds that can fight against devastating diseases in both plants and humans. Among these endophytic microorganisms, endophytic fungi are one of the dominant group of microorganisms with a potential role in plant growth promotion and the discovery of noble bioactive natural products. Endophytic fungi possess several bioactivities like anticancer, antimicrobial, insecticidal, plant growth stimulants, crop protection, phytoremediation, etc. Presence of modular biosynthetic genes clusters like PKS and NRPS in several endophytic fungi underscores the need to understand and explore such organisms. This volume presents and demonstrates the applied aspects of endophytic fungi. Practical applications of such endophytes are discussed in detail, including studies in pharmaceutical development and agricultural management of important microbial diseases. The beneficial effects that endophytic fungi provide to host plants—enhancing growth, increasing fitness, strengthening tolerance to abiotic and biotic stresses through secondary metabolites—are also discussed. The reader is provided with a comprehensive and detailed understanding of such relationships between endophytic fungi and their host.

This pioneering book focuses on Neotropical endophytic fungi, providing a comprehensive overview of their diversity, ecology, and biotechnological applications in medicine, agriculture, and industry. Despite their rich diversity, the endophytic fungi associated with plants of Central and South American biomes remain largely unknown. The book addresses that knowledge gap by offering insights into Neotropic endophytic fungal community.

In the past few decades, awareness of the basic role that endophytic fungi play in shaping the fitness of both wild and crop plants has increased significantly. The number of papers on the subject is so large that it is becoming difficult to have a complete overview of the state-of-the-art with reference to specific crops. In the absence of readily available documents providing circumstantial information on the endophytic assemblage of plants, the isolation of a certain fungal species may appear to be occasional or trivial; hence, many important findings are at risk of going unnoticed. This Special Issue aims to present a collection of papers dealing with the occurrence and functions of endophytic fungi in crop species. It may represent a useful tool for stakeholders in this particular research field, with a view to stimulating a more thorough consideration of the opportunities deriving from their discoveries.

Latent infection vs. endophytic colonization by fungi; Isolation and analysis of endophytic fungal communities from woody plants; Fungal endophytes of living branch bases in several european tree species; Ecological and physiological aspects of host specificity in endophytic fungi; Coastal redwood leaf endophytes: their occurrence, interactions and response to host volatile terpenoids; Fungal endophytes of palms; Morphological and physiological adaptation of balansieae and trends in the evolution of grass endophytes.

Endophytic fungi are important biotechnological tools because they produce many secondary metabolites. However, to access this important source of bioactive molecules, it is essential to explore the diversity of endophytic fungi and catalog their species richness in different ecosystems. This book reviews the diversity, characterisation and biocontrol of endophytic fungi.

Discusses the role of endophytes in food security, forestry and health. It outlines their general biology, spanning theory to practice.

The leaf surface or phyllosphere is a major habitat for microorganisms. Microbes on or within leaves play important roles in plant ecology, and these microbes can be manipulated to enhance plant growth or reduce plant disease. This book presents a number of critical reviews by internationally recognized experts on the microbial ecology of leaves. Topics include methods of assessment of microbial populations on leaf surfaces, leaves as reservoirs of ice nucleation phenomenon, and leaves as microbial habitats in both aquatic and terrestrial environments. The book will be of interest to students and scientists in numerous disciplines, including botany, aerobiology, meteorology, ecology, agriculture, and microbiology.