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Fungal Endophytes in Species of Paspalum and Bromus, Occurrence and In Vitro Antagonistic Activity Assessment

Abstract

The aims of this work were to study the occurrence of fungi associated to Paspalum dilatatum, P. notatum, Bromus biebersteinii and B. catharticus and to evaluate their potential as antagonistic agents against fungal pathogens. The genera Acremonium, Alternaria, Aspergillus, Curvularia, Fusarium, Penicillium and Stemphylium were the most representative isolated fungi. The isolates of the genus Acremonium showed antagonistic activity against different putative pathogenic species tested in dual cultures. The results suggest that the interactions and mechanisms of antagonism of the same strain vary according to the putative pathogenic strains to which they are faced to. The results encourage further studies to elucidate if the strains isolated in this study are good candidates for biological control of latent pathogens in pastures. To accomplish this, future studies focused on the analysis of the secondary metabolites produced by the antagonists in the culture medium, as well as assays in planta will be conducted.

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