摘要：Fungal endophytes can establish beneficial relationship with the host plants. The endophytes help in the growth of host plants under stress conditions by secreting various bioactive compounds. To discover potent endophytes, we have isolated some of the fungi from medicinally important plant Caral- luma acutangula. The isolated endophytes were assessed for extra-cellular enzymes [1-aminocyclopro- pane-1-carboxylate (ACC) deaminase, cellulases, phosphatases and glucosidases)] and IAA production. The potent endophytes have been identified as Paecilomyces variotii, Penicillium purpurogenum and Epicoccum nigrum on the basis of internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region homology. The endophytic strains P. variotii and E. nigrum have produced IAA, phosphatases and glucosidases in significantly higher amounts. Whereas, a higher activity of ACC deaminase (300 nmol α- ketobutyrate mg~(-1) h~(-1)) have been noticed in P. purpurogenum and P. variotii. The production of IAA, ACC deaminase, celluloses, phosphatases and glucosidases by the isolated endophytes concludes that they can support the host plants under stress conditions.
