Bioprospecting Endophytic Fungi from salt adapted plants

Abiotic stress is one of the major constraints which restrain plant growth and productivity by disrupting physiological processes and stifling defense mechanisms. Hence, the present work focused on the isolation and identification of salt tolerant endophytes. The obtained results clarified that 158 fungal species were recovered from different halophytic plants including, (Olea europaea, Ficus carcia, Psidium guajava). Among them, 120 isolates belonged to three genera: Aspergillus, Penicillium, and Cladosporium. Additionally, 26 isolates were identified as belonging to the genus Trichoderma, 4 isolates to Curvularia, 3 isolates to Rhizopus, and 5 isolates to Fusarium. Furthermore, the most common fungi were recovered and identified morphologically. The identified genera were Aspergillus terreus AUMC 16944, Trichoderma longibrachiatum AUMC 16945, A. niger van Tieghem AUMC 16942 and Penicillium purpurogenum stoll AUMC 16943. Thus, these isolates are recommended as bio-priming with salt tolerant endophytes to mitigate the salt stress consequences and develop a potential salt resistance in crop plants.