Effect of crop management and cultivar on colonization of Capsicum annuum L. by Endophytic Fungi

Due to their importance as biological control agents, we analysed the colonization of two pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) cultivars by culturable endophytic fungi in natural sandy soil in the open field and under soil-free conditions in the greenhouse, respectively. In natural soil, we observed a significant difference in colonization rates between the cultivars ‘Hó’ and ‘Kápia’. Colonization rates were always lower in the greenhouse than in the open field. Colonization was enhanced towards the end of the growing period and organ-specific differences were also observed. On the basis of colony morphology, 15 separate groups were identified for future sequence-based identification.