Antagonistic Activity of Endophy Antagonistic Activity of Endophytic Fungi from Euphorbia rigida against Botrytis cinerea in Tomato

Antagonistic Activity of Endophytic Fungi from Euphorbia rigida against Botrytis cinerea in Tomato

Abstract

This study was conducted to isolate endophytic fungi from the spurge (Euphorbia rigida) plant and to evaluate the in vitro biocontrol potential of these isolates against Botrytis cinerea. Within the scope of the research, a total of thirty endophytic fungal isolates were obtained from different tissues of E. rigida. These isolates were derived from the stem (5), leaf (16), and flower (9) tissues of the plant and were identified based on their macromorphological and micromorphological characteristics. Accordingly, 66.67% of the isolates were determined to belong to Trichoderma species. The biocontrol potential of the Trichoderma isolates against B. cinerea, the causal agent of gray mold disease, was assessed in terms of their antagonistic activity. Dual culture assays were performed on Potato Dextrose Agar (PDA) medium, where the bioagent fungi restricted the mycelial growth of B. cinerea by 11 to 35 mm. Among the tested isolates, eight exhibited significant antifungal activity, inhibiting the mycelial growth of the pathogen by 75.5% to 100%. These findings indicate that E. rigida harbors fungal endophytes with high biocontrol activity and that these fungi could serve as potential bioagents against B. cinerea.