Isolation and Characterization of Endophytic Fungi from Saline Habitat Adapted Plants

摘要

Endophytic fungi from four saline habitat adapted plants were isolated and evaluated for their ability to tolerate salinity stress. Cyperus stoloniferus from Marakanam back waters, Tamil Nadu yielded the highest number of endophytic fungal isolates. Genus Aspergillus was the dominant endophytic fungal isolate. In axenic culture, few of the isolates were able to-tolerate NaCl concentrations as high as 1.0 M. These results suggest that endophytes may also acquire tolerance to abiotic stresses, just asis expressed by their respective host plants. The role of such endophytes in imparting abiotic stress tolerance to their respective host plants is currently being investigated.