We conducted a survey of fungal endophytes in 582 germinated seeds belonging to 11 Colombian
cultivars of the common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris). The survey yielded 394 endophytic
isolates belonging to 42 taxa, as identified by sequence analysis of the ribosomal
DNA internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region. Aureobasidium pullulans was the dominant endophyte,
isolated from 46.7 % of the samples. Also common were Fusarium oxysporum, Xylaria
sp., and Cladosporium cladosporioides, but found in only 13.4 %, 11.7 %, and 7.6 % of
seedlings, respectively. Endophytic colonization differed significantly among common
bean cultivars and seedling parts, with the highest colonization occurring in the first
true leaves of the seedlings.
Published by Elsevier Ltd on behalf of The British Mycological Society. This is an open
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