Isolation, characterization, and diversity of fungal endophytes from Albizia lebbeck in Jammu & Kashmir, India

Endophytes are microorganisms that reside within various plant parts and cause no damage to the host plant. Fungal endophytes from various medicinal plants have been isolated and characterized due to their beneficial role; however, their diversity in the Albizia lebbeck plant remains unexplored. This study aims to isolate and represent the diversity of endophytic fungi associated with the leaves and stem of A. lebbeck, commonly known as “Siris” or Shirish” in Ayurvedic medicine. This medicinal plant is widely distributed in India, including the Jammu and Kashmir region. Endophytes were isolated and characterized using a combination of morphological and molecular approaches, employing internal transcribed spacer markers. A total of 210 endophytic fungi were successfully isolated (111 from leaves and 99 from stems) from 52 plant samples collected across 13 sites in Jammu and Kashmir. Most of the isolates (99.5%) belonged to the phylum Ascomycota, while only 0.5% were identified as Basidiomycota. Around 82 distinct species were identified, with greater diversity and species richness in leaf samples, highlighting the ecological significance of endophytes in plant systems. These findings inspire us to further investigate the role of fungal endophytes in maintaining plant health and their potential applications in pharmaceuticals.