Description
CABI Endophyte Biotechnology by Alexander Schouten
Endophytes are bacterial and fungal microorganisms that colonize plants without usually eliciting visible disease symptoms but establishing intricate and mutually beneficial interactions with their host plant. This can lead to an increase in plant vigour, growth, development, and changes in plant metabolism. Endophytes may assist in the development of more productive and sustainable agricultural practices or discoveries of novel pharmacologicals. These elusive organisms are often overlooked and their benefits underrated. Endophytes can support plants in a variety of ways to cope with biotic and abiotic stress factors, such as drought, heat, pest and diseases. They can produce particular metabolites, facilitate access to nutrients, change the plant's chemistry, physiology and responses, or by a combination of these factors. The biosynthetic pathways present in endophytes alone or in combinations with the plant's, can lead to novel chemicals, with yet undiscovered pharmacological characteristics.