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Online ISSN : 2349-8080 Issues : 12 per year Publisher : Excellent Publishers Email : editorinchiefijcrbp@gmail.com |
The diversity of endophytic fungi from different provenances of Prunus africana (Hook. F.) Kalkman, an endemic medicinal plant in Cameroon, was studied through culture dependent methods.1358 endophytic fungal isolates representing 27 genera were isolated from 1360 segments of leaf, stem, bark, root and seeds of P. africana. Hyphomycetes (56.19%) were the most predominant followed by Coelomycetes (37.63%). Mycelia sterilia (isolates without spores) constituted 6.19%. Seven genera - Colletotrichum, Aspergillus, Trichoderma, Lasiodiplodia, Curvularia, Fusarium, Pestalotia - and Morphospecies P001 were common and dominant in more than one site. The diversity was highest in Mount Cameroon Forest and Limbe Botanic Garden provenances with 20 and 19 genera recorded as compared to Kilum-Ijim Forest and Bamendankwe provenances with 11 genera each. Incidence of endophytes, colonization frequency, isolation rate and dominance of fungi varied within tissues of host plant and sites. The leaves had the highest diversity index while the roots had the least. The highest similarity was recorded between Mount Cameroon Forest and the Kilum-Ijim Forest with a Sørensen similarity coefficient of 0.464. Ordination by simple correspondence analysis revealed clear distinct clusters of genera in different localities. This study represents the first comprehensive survey of endophyte diversity in P. africana from Cameroon.
