Endophytic aquatic hyphomycetes of roots of plantation crops and ferns from India

Roots of coffee and rubber plants and four ferns growing along two streams were examined for the presence of endophytic aquatic hyphomycetes by plating and aerating surface-sterilized root segments. No aquatic hyphomycete colonies could be isolated from plated root segments. Aeration yielded conidia belonging to 5-8 different aquatic hyphomycete species per plant. Average conidial production ranged between 3 and 410 per g root mass in five of the plants; in the fern Christela dentata, it reached 12,900. Between 8 (decorticated roots of Coffea arabica) and 96% (entire roots of C. dentata) of root segments yielded aquatic hyphomycete conidia. The number of endophytic aquatic hyphomycetes species amounted to 14 and 38% of the total species numbers previously found in the two streams. Tetracladium furcatum. Triscelophorus acuminatus, T. konajensis and T. monosporus are recorded for the first time as root endophytes.