Molecular Identification of Endophytic Fungi from Corn Plant as Antifungal Agent against Fusarium oxysporum

Endophytic fungi live in a symbiotic relationship with plants. They produce interesting secondary metabolites that are beneficial to the host plant. This study aims to identify the endophytic fungi of the corn plant and determine their inhibitory activity against the pathogenic fungus Fusarium oxysporum. Endophytic fungi were isolated from corn plant using the direct planting method, and the isolates obtained were tested for their antifungal activity against the pathogenic fungus F. oxysporum  using the dual culture method. The isolates were examined macroscopically and microscopically for the characterization of their morphology. The endophytic fungal isolates were also subjected to molecular identification by DNA amplification and sequencing, followed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis. Eleven (11) endophytic fungal isolates were isolated from the roots, stems, and leaves of the corn plant. Three of the isolates (Isolates G, I, and J) showed the most promising antifungal activity against F. oxysporum with percentage inhibition of 34.60%, 24.40%, and 14.10% for isolates G, I, and J, respectively. Morphological and molecular characterization of the three isolates identified isolate G as the fungus Fusarium sororula with a 99.81% similarity, isolate I was identified as Diaporthe sp. with 99.64% similarity, and isolate J was identified as Sarocladium zeae with 99.64% similarity. The present study has successfully identified endophytic fungi of the corn plant, and the endophytic fungal isolates have shown the potential to be used as antifungal agent against pathogenic fungi.