International Journal of
MediPharm Research

Biodiversity of endophytic fungi of different leaf samples viz., young, mature, dry, yellow and infected of Pongamia pinnata was carried out in the Microbiology laboratory, K. M. Centre for P. G. Studies (Autonomous), Pondicherry during 2011. Agar plate and moist chamber techniques were used to isolate the endophytic fungi. During the study period, a total of 15 fungi were isolated under 13 genera from both agar plate and moist chamber method of which, 13 species of 10 genera were recorded from agar plate and 15 species of 12 genera were recorded from moist chamber. Incidence of endophytic fungi isolated from Pongamia pinnata in agar plate was less than moist chamber. It was found that, white sterile mycelia was recorded in all the leaf samples starting from young to infected of the medicinal plant Pongamia pinnata. In agar plate technique, Alternaria alternata, Cladosporium cladosporiodes, Penicillium funiculosum, white sterile mycelia, Curvularia lunata, green sterile mycelia were recorded from all the leaf samples. In moist chamber, Alternaria alternata, Curvularia lunata, Colletotrichum falcatum sterile mycelia were recorded in all the leaf samples. It showed that infected and yellow leaves of the plant harboured maximum number of endophytic fungi followed by mature and young leaves. Moist chamber method was suitable to isolate and record the endophytic fungi correctly in comparison to agar plate method. White sterile mycelia and Curvularia were predominant in the agar plate method. But in moist chamber technique, Colletotrichum sp., Curvularia, Penicillium citrinum and white sterile mycelia were predominant.

Keywords: Endophytic fungi, Medicinal plant, Pongamia pinnata, Moist chamber.