TITLE:
Isolation and Identification of Fungal Endophytes from Grasses along the Oregon Coast
AUTHORS:
Ruth C. Martin, James E. Dombrowski
KEYWORDS:
Fungi, Endophytes, Abiotic Stress, Grass, Biotic Stress, Salt Stress
JOURNAL NAME:
American Journal of Plant Sciences,
Vol.6 No.19,
December
16,
2015
ABSTRACT: Fungal endophytes have been shown to improve abiotic and biotic stress response in plants. Grasses
growing along the Oregon coast are exposed to harsh conditions and may harbor endophytes that
enable them to survive and grow under these conditions. Endophytic fungi were isolated from
thirty-four grass plants representing eight different grass species at four different locations along
the Oregon coast. The ITS-1, 5.8S, and ITS-2 regions of each isolate were amplified, sequenced, and
used to perform a BLAST search against the nucleotide database collection at National Center for
Biotechnology Information. One-hundred-eleven different fungal isolates were classified into thirtynine
genera with two isolates that did not show a match greater than 95%. These endophytes will
be investigated to determine their potential for improving the adaptability of grasses and other
crop plants to grow in diverse environments where they are subjected to multiple biotic and abiotic
stresses.