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Endophytic fungi from leaves of Centella asiatica: occurrence and potential interactions within leaves

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Abstract

Fungal endophytes were isolated from leaves of Centella asiatica (Apiaceae) collected at Mangoro (middle eastern region of Madagascar, 200 km from Antananarivo). Forty- five different taxa were recovered. The overall foliar colonization rate was 78%. The most common endophytes were the non-sporulating species 1 (isolation frequency IF 19.2%) followed by Colletotrichum sp.1 (IF 13.2%), Guignardia sp. (IF 8.5%), Glomerella sp. (IF 7.7%), an unidentified ascomycete (IF 7.2%), the non-sporulating species 2 (IF 3.7%) and Phialophora sp. (IF 3.5%). Using sequences of the ribosomal DNA internal transcribed spacer (ITS) regions, major endophytes (IF > 7%) were identified as xylariaceous taxa or as Colletotrichum higginsianum, Guignardia mangiferae and Glomerella cingulata. Results from in vitro fungal disk experiments showed a strong inhibitory activity of the xylariaceous non-sporulating species 1 against G. mangiferae and C. higginsianum and of C. higginsianum against G. mangiferae. This can be explained by antagonism between dominant taxa.

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Fig. 1 Diagram
Fig. 2 

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Abbreviations

ASCO1:

Unidentified ascomycete

CR:

Colonization rate

IF:

Isolation frequency

IMRA:

Institut Malgache de Recherches Appliquées

MEAC:

Malt extract agar with chloramphenicol

NSS:

Non-sporulating species

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Acknowledgements

This work is part of the research program at IMRA (Institut Malgache de Recherches Appliquées, Madagascar) on Biodiversity and Biotechnology. We wish to thank the Belgian Commission Universitaire pour le Développement (CUD) for contributing financially to this research. Erick Francisco Rakotoniriana is grateful to ADRI/UCL (Administration de la Relation Internationale / Université catholique de Louvain, Belgique) for the doctoral fellowship enabling him to continue this research. Cony Decock and Françoise Munaut gratefully acknowledge the financial backing received from the Belgian Federal Office for Scientific, Technical, and Cultural affairs (OSTC, contract BCCM/MUCL C2/10/007), and thank the directors of MUCL and MBLA for their constant encouragement and the provision of research facilities. We also thank Dr. Geraldine Van der Auwera and Dr. Aro Vonjy Ramarosandratana for critically reading manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institut Malgache de Recherches Appliquées (IMRA), BP3833, Avarabohitra Itaosy, Antananarivo (102), Madagascar

    E. F. Rakotoniriana, D. Randriamampionona, M. Andriambololoniaina, T. Rakotomalala, C. Rabemanantsoa, K. Cheuk & S. U. Ratsimamanga

  2. Mycothèque de l’Université catholique de Louvain (BCCM/MUCL), Unité de Microbiologie, Faculté d’Ingénierie biologique, agronomique et environnementale, Université catholique de Louvain, Croix du Sud 3 box 6, Louvain-la-Neuve, 1348, Belgium

    E. F. Rakotoniriana, F. Munaut, C. Decock & A. M. Corbisier

  3. Institut National de Santé Publique et Communautaire, Service de Recherches et Expertise, Antananarivo (101), Madagascar

    E. J. Rakotonirina

  4. Laboratory of Food and Environmental Microbiology, Unité de Microbiologie, Faculté d’Ingénierie biologique, agronomique et environnementale, Université catholique de Louvain, Croix du Sud 3 box 6, Louvain-la-Neuve, 1348, Belgium

    J. Mahillon

  5. Laboratory of Plant Biotechnology, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Rue Adrienne Bolland 8, B-6041, Gosselies, Belgium

    M. El-Jaziri

  6. Laboratoire de Pharmacognosie, Unité CHAM, Université catholique de Louvain, Bruxelles, Belgium

    J. Quetin-Leclercq

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  1. E. F. Rakotoniriana
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  2. F. Munaut
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  3. C. Decock
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  4. D. Randriamampionona
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  5. M. Andriambololoniaina
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  6. T. Rakotomalala
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  7. E. J. Rakotonirina
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  8. C. Rabemanantsoa
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  9. K. Cheuk
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  10. S. U. Ratsimamanga
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  13. J. Quetin-Leclercq
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  14. A. M. Corbisier
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Correspondence to E. F. Rakotoniriana.

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Rakotoniriana, E.F., Munaut, F., Decock, C. et al. Endophytic fungi from leaves of Centella asiatica: occurrence and potential interactions within leaves. Antonie van Leeuwenhoek 93, 27–36 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10482-007-9176-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10482-007-9176-0

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