Endopytytic Fungi Isolated from Needle Leaves of Juniperus rigida in Chungbuk, Korea

Endophytic fungi are microorganisms living within a plant without causing apparent disease. They enhance host growth and improve host``s tolerance to various environmental stresses. In this study, we investigate endophytic fungi isolated from Juniperus rigida, which is the common conifer in Korea. Needle leaves of 1. rigida were collected in two sites of Chungbuk; Yeongdong and Jincheon. Endophytic fungi were isolated from the surface-sterilized leaves, and identified using morphological and sequence analysis of ITS region of rDNA. In Jincheon, 20 species of endophytic fungi were identified and 15 species were identified in Yeongdong. Result show that the community structures of endophytic fungi inhabiting leaves of 1. rigida were different in both sites. It suggests that the host specificity of the endophytic fungi was not shown in this study, but the local specificity could be confirmed.