Molecular characterization of endophytic fungi associated with Centella Asiatica linn. Inhabiting wildly in Arunachal Pradesh

We describe the first time report on the diversity of endophytic fungi from the medicinal plant Centella asiatica Linn (Apiaceae) wildly growing in the forest of Papum Pare, Arunachal Pradesh, India. The fungal endophytes were identified based on their morphological, cultural and reproductive structures. Further, the phylogenetic analysis of the isolated species was identified, using the sequences of 5.8S and 28S rDNA internal transcribed spacer sequence 1 and 4. The largest number of fungal endophytes (39%) was isolated from the leaves, followed by the roots (31%) and stems (30%). Overall twenty-eight fungal species have been isolated, out of which, 11 belongs to the class Dothideomycetes; 02 belongs to the Eurotiomycetes; 14 belongs to the class Sordariomycetes and 01 fungal endophyte couldn't identify properly. The maximum species richness and frequency of colonization were recorded in leaf. The observations show that Lasiodiplodia viticola was the dominant endophytic species followed by Colletotrichum gloeosporioides, Bipolaris bicolour, Pithomyces chartarum, and Preussia sp. and others. However, Pestalotiopsis longiseta, Aureobasidium sp., C. gloeosporioides and Fusarium merismoides were the common fungal endophytes recorded from all the plant parts viz., leaf, stem, and roots from C. asiatica. The density of colonization (rD %) was recorded in the chronology of L. viticola 8.66% < C. gloeosporioides (4.66%) < B. bicolour, Pithomyces chartarum and Preussia sp. (3.33%) and 0.66% to 1.33% for the remaining endophytes.