Vol. 12, Issue 3 (2023)

Author(s):
Swagata Saikia, Ankita Saikia, Mithu Gogoi and Dipta Som

Abstract:
Endophytes are microbes (mostly bacteria and fungi) present asymptomatically in plants. Endophytic microbes are often functional there in they may carry nutrients from the soil into plants, modulate plant development, increase stress tolerance of plants, suppress virulence in pathogens, increase disease resistance in plants, and suppress development of competitor plant species. Due to the effective functions of endophytic microbes, we propose that endophytic microbes may significantly reduce use of agrochemicals (fertilizers, fungicides, insecticides, and herbicides) within the cultivation of banana plants. The loss of endophytic microbes from banana plants during domestication and long-term cultivation might be remedied by transfer of endophytes from wild relatives of crops to crop species.