Endophytic Fungi: Diversity, Characterization and Biocontrol

6 Afra Khiralla, Rosella Spina, Sakina Yagi et al.

endophytes of grasses were first noted by European investigators in the late
19 th century in seeds of Lolium temulentum, L. arvense, L. linicolum, and L.
remotum (Guerin, 1898; Vogl, 1898). From their earliest discovery,
investigators hypothesized a link to toxic syndromes experienced by animals
that consume infected tissues. And these hypotheses were tested when Bacon
et al., (1977) linked the endophyte Neotyphodium coenophialum to the
widespread occurrence of ‘summer syndrome’ toxicosis in cattle grazing tall
fescue pastures (Festuca arundinacea).
Mycelium of clavicipitaceous endophytes occurs in intercellular spaces of
leaf sheaths, culms, and rhizomes, and may also be present, if sparsely, on the
surface of leaf blades (White et al.,1996; Moy et al., 2000; Dugan et al., 2002;
Tadych et al., 2007).

The effects of clavicipitaceous endophytes on host plant are listed below:

 Insects deterrence

Most clavicipitaceous endophytes enhance resistance of hosts to insect
feeding; the benefits arise in part from the production of alkaloidic mycotoxins
loline and peramine which are generally associated with resistance to insects
(Rowan and Gaynor, 1986; Clay, 1990; Patterson et al., 1991; Riedell et al.,
1991).

 Mammalian herbivores deterrence

Some clavicipitaceous endophytes have been reported to deter feeding by
mammalian herbivores, because they produced mycotoxins such like ergot and
lolitrem alkaloids (White, 1987; Gentile et al., 1999).

 Reduction of nematodes

Also some studies indicated that clavicipitaceous endophytes had anti-
nematode activity; Kimmons et al., (1990) stated that infection of tall fescus
Festuca arundinacea with an endophytic fungus Acremonium coenophialum
has been shown to reduce nematode population’s in field soils.