Endophytic fungi isolated from Pinus halepensis needles in M'sila (Algeria) region and their bioactivities

Fungal endophytes grow asymptomatically within the tissues of all vascular plants and some are known to provide their host plants with tolerance to different types of environmental stress. Endophytic fungi were detected, isolated and collected from healthy needles of Alep pine (Pinus halepensis Mill.) from the canton of El-Haourane in M'sila, Algeria. For the author's knowledge, these fungi are reported from this conifer for the first time in this region. A survey has been conducted using randomly sampled needles of symptomless trees for two categories of needles (old and young). From 600 surface-sterilized needles collected from 15 trees (300 needles for each age), 29 fungal isolates were obtained and identified on the basis of the morphological characterization using microscopic observations. The fungal isolates were grouped in Deuteromycetes and Zygomycetes. Species of Moniliales were the most common fungi assaciated with P. halepensis. It appears from the results also that the colonization frequency (CF%) was dependant on the age of the needles; older needles were more densely colonized than the younger needles with a 68.5%. The results of this study indicate that P. halepensis serves as a host to numerous endophytic fungi. These fungi could have significance as a source of novel metabolites. And therefore the mycoendophytes genera of Penicillium, Acremonium, Aspergillus, Rhizopus, Trichosporon, Cladosporium, Fusarium, Trichoderma. Expressed an antagonistic and antibiotic effect against pathogenic microorganisms to humans and plants.