Initial identification of endophytic fungi of Arasbaran Prunus avium

An endophytic fungus is a microorganism that spends at least part of its life cycle inside plant tissues. These organisms play a pivotal role in producing valuable secondary metabolites and tolerance of biotic and abiotic stresses in the plant. For this reason, studies on the identification of endophytic fungi in forest trees and the isolation of secondary metabolites have significantly increased. This study aimed to identify Prunus avium endophytic fungi associated with Arasbaran. Leaf and stem explants were collected from 5 regions and, after surface disinfection, cultivated on PDA medium. Cultivation and purification of fungi grown in the PDA culture medium were repeated, and finally, they were cultured in the PDB culture medium for preservation and DNA extraction. Using PCR, DNA was extracted and the ITS fragment was amplified for molecular identification of grown endophytic fungi. Sequencing of ITS fragments showed that 12 isolated fungal strains belong to 8 different genera. Three strains in the Aspergillus genus, including Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus sydowii, and Aspergillus flavus, two species in the Alternaria genus, namely Alternaria tenuissima and Alternaria sp., two species in the Penicillium genus as Penicillium sizovae and Penicillium oxalicum and the rest species in different genera including Aureobasidium pullulans, Platychora ulmi, Ochrocladosporium elatum, Xylaria corniformis, and Sordariomycetes sp. were classified. Phylogenetic clustering placed 12 fungal species into three distinct clades.