Isolation and Identification of bacterial endophytesHealthy tomato plants were gently uprooted and brought to laboratory. Root sections were made using a sterilescalpel. By being sequentially immersed in 70% alcohol for 1 min, 2.5% sodium hypochlorite for 2 min and 0.1%HgCl2 for 1 min and washed in four changes of sterile phosphate buffered saline (PBS) the root samples of 2 –3 cmlong were excised and surface sterilized. Aliquots from the last buffer wash were checked for sterility. Chosen samples were triturated in 10.0 ml of PBS in sterile pestle and mortar. The triturate was serially diluted and used forisolation of potential antagonists to Fusarium oxysporum .