Author Description

Plant growth regulating fungi are associated with plant roots and secrete a number of useful secondary metabolites in the rhizosphere. We investigated plant growth regulating activity of roots inhabiting endophytic fungi isolated from different weed species. Endophytic fungi were isolated from Echinochloa crus-galli, Digitaria sanguinalis, Monochoria vaginalis, Plantago lanceolata, Portulaca oleracea, Veronica arvensis, and one vegetable Cucumis sativus. We isolated 189 fungal endophytes from the roots of these plants, of which 78 fungal isolates were screened for their effects on plant growth and development. Giberellins production by selected fungal endophytes were also studied.