416176

Diversity of endophytic fungi from extreme habitats and their promising biochemical markers

Article

Last updated: 09 Apr 2025

Subjects

-

Tags

Biology and pharmaceutical sciences.

Abstract

Climate change exacerbates abiotic stresses, including drought and salinity, significantly affecting agriculture. Overreliance on chemical fertilizers compounds environmental pollution, necessitating sustainable alternatives. Endophytic fungi adapted to extreme habitats present a viable solution by promoting plant growth and enhancing stress tolerance. This study explored the potential of endophytic fungi from harsh environments as eco-friendly substitutes for chemical fertilizers. A total of 174 fungal isolates, representing 13 genera, were recovered from nine wild plant species along the coasts of Port Said Governorate, Egypt. Alternaria dominated the isolates (52.3%), while Talaromyces was the least represented (0.6%). Isolates were tested for drought and salinity tolerance using polyethylene glycol (PEG-6000) and NaCl. Ten highly tolerant isolates were further evaluated for plant growth-promoting traits, including enzymatic activities, nutrient mobilization, antioxidant properties, and phytohormone production. Notable findings included Aspergillus terreus (P2R2M1) and Chaetomium globosporum (P5S1M1), which exhibited multiple enzymatic activities, and Trichoderma viride (P14R3M1), which showed exceptional phosphate solubilization (256 µg/mL). Cladosporium tenuissimum (P4R3M1) demonstrated strong siderophore production (89%), while Trichoderma viride (P12R1M1) exhibited the highest antioxidant capacity (77%) and phenolic content (44 µg GAE/mg DW). Acremonium hyalinulum (P14R1M1) produced the most indole acetic acid (16 µg/mL), and P12R1M1 synthesized the highest gibberellic acid (671 µg/mL). Additionally, this study identified new records of endophytic fungi in Egypt, such as Chaetomium globosporum and Pseudoseptoria sp. These findings underscore the potential of endophytic fungi as sustainable agricultural inputs and highlight their role in reducing reliance on chemical fertilizers.

DOI

10.21608/ajbas.2025.352772.1245

Keywords

abiotic stress, Climate Change, Endophytic fungi, Harsh habitats, plant growth

Authors

First Name

Gehad

Last Name

El-Nahas

MiddleName

Ali

Affiliation

Department of Botany and microbiology, Faculty of Science, Port Said university, Port Said, Egypt.

Email

gehad101453@sci.psu.edu.eg

City

-

Orcid

0000-0003-2828-3594

First Name

Ali Hassan

Last Name

Ibrahim

MiddleName

Hassan

Affiliation

Department of Botany and microbiology, Faculty of Science, Port Said university, Port Said, Egypt.

Email

ibrahim2910@yahoo.com

City

Port Said

Orcid

-

First Name

Zakaria

Last Name

Baka

MiddleName

Awad

Affiliation

Department of Botany and Microbiology, Faculty of Science, Damietta University, New Damietta, Egypt.

Email

zakariabaka@yahoo.com

City

-

Orcid

-

First Name

Mohsen

Last Name

Ibrahim

MiddleName

El-Sayed

Affiliation

Department of Botany and microbiology, Faculty of Science, Port Said university, Port Said, Egypt.

Email

mohsenhbrahim@yahoo.com

City

-

Orcid

-

Volume

6

Article Issue

2

Related Issue

54819

Issue Date

2025-04-01

Receive Date

2025-01-16

Publish Date

2025-04-01

Page Start

139

Page End

156

Online ISSN

2682-275X

Link

https://ajbas.journals.ekb.eg/article_416176.html

Detail API

http://journals.ekb.eg?_action=service&article_code=416176

Order

3

Type

Original Article

Type Code

947

Publication Type

Journal

Publication Title

Alfarama Journal of Basic & Applied Sciences

Publication Link

https://ajbas.journals.ekb.eg/

MainTitle

Diversity of endophytic fungi from extreme habitats and their promising biochemical markers

Details

Type

Article

Created At

09 Apr 2025