Exploring fungal endophytes in a medicinal plant, Lavandula officinalis L.: Isolation, characterization, and plant growthpromoting potential

This study focuses on isolating and characterizing endophytic fungi from lavender (Lavandula officinalis L.) to assess their antifungal activity and plant growth-promoting properties, marking one of the first investigations of this kind in the country.Using standard microbiological techniques, nine endophytic fungi were isolated and screened for enzyme production.The results revealed protease and lipase activity in several isolates, with notable cellulolytic activity indicated by filter paper degradation.Of the isolates, four were selected for further analysis.Isolate LR3 showed the highest levels of endo-1,4--glucanase and exo-1,4--glucanase activity, producing enzyme levels 4.22 times higher than the control.Isolate LS2 followed with enzyme activities of 3.72 and 2.63 units/ml, respectively, while LR2 also exhibited some endo-1,4--glucanase activity.The most active isolates, LS2 and LR3, were chosen for further study.When tested against pathogenic fungi, most endophytic isolates demonstrated activity against Verticillium dahliae and various Fusarium species, though they showed no activity against Fusarium oxysporum.Overall, this study highlights lavender-associated endophytic fungi as promising bioinoculants to support sustainable lavender cultivation.