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Endophytic fungi of wild banana (Musa acuminata) at Doi Suthep Pui National Park, Thailand

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  30 January 2002

Wipornpan PHOTITA
Affiliation:
Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, Thailand 50200. E-mail: wipornpan@hotmail.com
Saisamorn LUMYONG
Affiliation:
Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, Thailand 50200. E-mail: wipornpan@hotmail.com
Pipob LUMYONG
Affiliation:
Department of Plant Pathology, Faculty of Agriculture, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, Thailand 50200.
Kevin D. HYDE
Affiliation:
Centre for Research in Fungal Diversity, Department of Ecology and Biodiversity, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong.
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Abstract

Endophytic fungi were isolated from 7500 samples of wild Musa acuminata collected from five sites at Doi Suthep Pui National Park, Thailand during December 1998 to July 1999. Overall colonization rates from surface sterilized tissues were 56·5, 48·9, 48, 47·9 and 41·7% for the Medicinal Plant Garden, Ban Suthep, Queen Sirikit Botanic Garden, San Gu, and Montatarn waterfall sites respectively. Sixty-one different fungal taxa were isolated. Fewer isolates were recovered from younger than older samples. Xylariaceous taxa and Guignardia cocoicola were the most frequently isolated endophytes from leaves and were either absent or rare in midrib, petiole and pseudostem. Colletotrichum gloeosporioides, C. musae, Guignardia cocoicola, various sterile mycelia and xylariaceous spp. were common at all sites. The endophyte fungal communities at the five sites were found to differ. Deightoniella torulosa was the most frequent isolate at the Ban Suthep site and was either absent or rare at other sites. Colletotrichum species were most common in the midribs and petioles at all sites, while Pyriculariopsis parasitica and Dactylaria sp. were most common in the pseudostems. The endophyte communities isolated from M. acuminata in this study are compared with those from previous studies on tropical hosts. Several of the endophytes isolated are established pathogens of banana and provide support for the hypothesis that some endophytes are latent pathogens. The diversity of fungi on banana is discussed in relation to global estimates of numbers of fungus species.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
© The British Mycological Society 2001

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Footnotes

Paper presented at the Asian Mycological Congress 2000 (AMC 2000), incorporating the 2nd Asia–Pacific Mycological Congress on Biodiversity and Biotechnology, and held at the University of Hong Kong on 9–13 July 2000.