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Updated: Aug 13, 2025

Establishing Fungal Entomopathogens as Endophytes: Towards Endophytic Biological Control
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Published on: April 11, 2013

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Uniting the Role of Endophytic Fungi against Plant Pathogens and Their Interaction

Shazia Akram1, Ayesha Ahmed1, Pengfei He1

  • 1State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Bio-Resources in Yunnan, Yunnan Agricultural University, Kunming 650201, China.

Journal of Fungi (Basel, Switzerland)
|January 21, 2023
PubMed

Insights

Endophytic fungi serve as microbial biological control agents (MBCAs) against plant diseases. This review explores their antifungal properties and mechanisms for controlling fungal pathogens.

Area of Science:

  • Plant Pathology
  • Mycology
  • Microbial Ecology

Background:

  • Endophytic fungi are prevalent in plants and act as microbial biological control agents (MBCAs).
  • These fungi offer multiple benefits, including enhanced plant growth and induced systemic resistance (ISR).
  • They produce antifungal secondary metabolites and compete with pathogens for resources.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the biological control potential of endophytic fungi against fungal plant pathogens.
  • To focus on the introduction, biology, isolation, identification, and antifungal activity of endophytic fungi.
  • To discuss the defensive mechanisms of endophytes against pathogens.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review focusing on endophytic fungi and their antifungal properties.
  • Examination of isolation and identification techniques for endophytic fungi.
  • Analysis of mechanisms of action, including antibiosis, parasitism, and ISR.

Main Results:

  • Endophytic fungi exhibit diverse antifungal activities against various plant pathogens.
  • Mechanisms include antibiosis, parasitism, lytic enzyme production, competition, siderophore production, and ISR induction.
  • Microscopic techniques aid in studying endophytic-pathogenic fungal interactions.

Conclusions:

  • Endophytic fungi are promising biological control agents against fungal plant pathogens.
  • Their multifaceted mechanisms of action contribute to disease management and plant health.
  • Further research into endophytic fungi can lead to sustainable agricultural practices.
Keywords:
biocontrolendophytesfungusmicrobial interactionphytopathogens

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