Vol. 6 No. 1 (2023): The Reality of Women in Science

• Ugal, E.
  Department of Plant Scnence and Biotechnology, Federal University of Lafia, PMB 146 Lafia, Nasarawa State, Nigeria
  




• Terna, T. P.
  Department of Plant Scnence and Biotechnology, Federal University of Lafia, PMB 146 Lafia, Nasarawa State, Nigeria
  

Tissue colonisation by endophytic microbes is an important determinant of plant health and produce quality. This study was carried out to identify and evaluate the pathogenicity and biological control potentials of endophytic fungi from bell pepper in Lafia, Nigeria. Endophytic fungi were isolated from disease-free pepper fruits collected from various pepper farms, and morphologically identified through cultural and microscopic examination. The identified endophytes were further subjected to pathogenicity test on disease-free pepper fruits for 7 days. Results showed that F. mangiferae was the most occurring (50%) species, followed by Candida sp. (30%), and both Clonostachys rosea (10%) and Bipolaris sp. (10%). Pathogenicity test showed that the endophytic F. mangiferae was the most pathogenic, producing 45.00% of tissue damage, followed by Candida sp. (25.00%), and Clonostachys rosea (5.00%), while pepper fruits inoculated with endophytic Bipolaris sp. showed no disease symptoms after five days of inoculation. Simultaneous pairing of the endophytic Bipolaris sp. with the rot-causing endophytes showed significant radial growth inhibition of F. mangiferae (P< 0.05). These findings reveal that bell peppers play host to both pathogenic and nonpathogenic fungi which play critical roles in determining fruit health and yield quality. The study highlights C. rosea as a promising candidate for further evaluation as a biocontrol agent against Fusarium-associated fruit rots in pepper under greenhouse and field conditions.

Keywords: Bell Pepper, Biocontrol Potentials, Endophytic Fungi, Fruit Rot, Pathogens