Evaluación de hongos endófitos presentes en raíces de Macleania rupestris en el desarrollo de plántulas de la misma especie

Abstract

Macleania rupestris (joyapa) is an endemic species of the Andes of Ecuador, which has a high nutritional content and great potential for use in projects aimed at recovering degraded areas. Therefore, it is important to seek alternatives for its domestication and conservation. One of these alternatives is to use microorganisms capable of promoting the growth and adaptation of the species, such as endophytic fungi, which in several studies have demonstrated the ability to conserve and/or improve the ecophysiological performance and survival in various shrub species. To test these attributes of endophytic fungi, 15 endophytic strains present in the roots of joyapa were isolated, subsequently encapsulated in 3% sodium alginate beads, and inoculated into seedlings of the same species. None of the 15 strains showed significant differences compared to the control for plant growth variables, number of leaves, and root length. However, these results could have been influenced by various factors such as temperature, luminosity, humidity, pH, altitudinal gradient, endophyte activity in specific phenological stages, and competition among endophytes