Biological Activities of Endophytic Microorganisms Isolated from Tulsi, Ocimum sanctum Plants

摘要

Endophytes live within plant tissues, for partial or full part of their life cycle and cause no apparent infection. Ecologically, interactions between host plants, pathogens and herbivores are mediated by endophytes. Endophytes have been recognized aspotential biological control agents, sources of novel metabolites for use in medicine, plant protection, industries as a research model system for host-parasite interaction and evolution in natural system. Environmental and health concerns about the extended use of pesticides in agriculture necessitate the finding of alternative control approaches for eliminating or controlling pathogens of crops. Biological control of diseases and pests is one such alternate method. Several authors have isolated endophytic microbes with P-solubilization activity (Vasanth Kumar 2003), antagonistic property (Varma et al, 1999) and IAA production (Owen and Nicholas, 2004). Tulsi is an aromatic plant in the family Lamiaceae. It is cultivated for religious and medicinal purposes, and for its essential oil. Tulsi has been revered in India for over five thousand years, as a healing balm for body, mind and spirit, and is known to bestow an amazing number of health benefits. Hence, in the present work, endophytes were isolated from Tulsi plants and tested them for agriculturally important biological activities.