Isolation and Characterization of Fungal Endophytes Isolated from Medicinal Plant Ephedra pachyclada as Plant Growth-Promoting

Endophytic fungi are widely present in internal plant tissues and provide different benefits to their host. Medicinal plants have unexplored diversity of functional fungal association; therefore, this study aimed isolate endophytic associated with leaves medicinal Ephedra pachyclada evaluate growth-promoting properties. Fifteen isolated endophytes belonging Ascomycota, three genera, Penicillium, Alternaria, Aspergillus, were obtained from healthy E. pachyclada. These varied antimicrobial activity against human pathogenic microbes produce ammonia indole acetic acid (IAA), addition enzymatic activity. The results showed that Penicillium commune EP-5 had a maximum IAA productivity 192.1 ± 4.04 µg mL−1 the presence 5 tryptophan. isolates crustosum EP-2, chrysogenum EP-3, Aspergillus flavus EP-14 exhibited variable efficiency for solubilizing phosphate salts. Five representative EP-5, caseifulvum EP-11, Alternaria tenuissima EP-13, consortium selected applied as bioinoculant maize plants. increased root lengths 15.8 0.8 22.1 0.6. Moreover, vegetative growth features inoculated improved more than uninoculated ones.