Identification of root endophytic fungi from rangeland plants in Mazandaran province

In this study, to isolate and identify the root endophyte fungi, root samples of herbaceous plants were collected from the central regions of Mazandaran province during 2016-17. In laboratory, each root sample was cultured on PDA medium after surface disinfestation and incubated for a month at 25°C and continuous darkness. Fungal isolates were purified using the single spore and hyphal tip methods. Fungal species were identified based on morphological characteristic and ITS sequence data. In this study, 27 species belonging to 14 different genera including: Alternaria alternata, A.arborescens, A. burnsii, A. dumosa, A. solani, A. tenuissima, Botryosphaeria dothidea , B. auasmontanum, Curvularia australiensis, C. buchloes, C. spicifera, Cladosporium tenuissimum, Daldinia concentrica, Diaporthe bohemiae, Fusarium acuminatum, F. avenaceum, F. equiseti, F. oxysporum, F. tricinctum, F.verticillioides، Microsphaeropsis arundinis، Nigrospora sphaerica، Paraconiothyrium cyclothyrioides, Periconia macrospinosa, Poaceascoma helicoides, Preussia minima and Xylaria heliscus were identified. Among identified fungi Botryosphaeria auasmontanum, Curvularia australiensis, C. buchloes, C. spicifera, Diaporthe bohemiae, Microsphaeropsis arundinis, Nigrospora sphaerica, Paraconiothyrium cyclothyrioides, Periconia macrospinosa, Poaceascoma helicoides and Preussia minima are new for mycoflora of Iran. Except Alternaria arborescens, other fungi are introduced from their hosts for the first time, in Iran.