Isolation, Identification and Molecular Characterization of Endophytic Fungi from Belpharis Maderaspatensis

Endophytes are an increasingly important area of research in many fields because of their chemical diversity and their ability to produce many novel secondary metabolites that can be utilized for fuel, medicine and agriculture. It is their chemical diversity that sparks profound interest in these organisms. The endophytic fungi are symbiotic fungi that grows between the intercellular spaces in the plant tissue without any visible change in the morphology of the leaf. They are non-pathogenic and help in the survival of the plant during stress conditions and helps in the nutrition uptake. The fresh leaves and stem of the plant was placed in PDA. The agar showed 5 different species of fungi, the fungi without visible spore was chosen as the target fungi. The fungal DNA was isolated and amplified in PCR using ITS Primer. It was identified by Gene sequencing and BLAST; the obtained sequence was then uploaded to the International Gene Bank and the accession number (MN577295.1) was obtained. Upon GC-MS analysis of ethyl acetate extract of Colletotrichumgloeosporioides revealed the presence of 39 bio active compounds. The Antimicrobial sensitivity test showed good zone of inhibition against Klebsiella pneumonia, E.coli and the zones were on par with third generation antibiotic Amikacin. Hence the endophyte Colletotrichumgloeosporioide spossess undeniable uses in both agricultural and pharmaceutical industries..