Role in plant protection from insects and pathogens by Host Endophyt

Crops are colonized by complex microbial communities and some of them are detrimental and cause diseases, whereas others promote plant growth and enhance nutrient acquisition and tolerance to biotic and abiotic stresses via a multitude of mechanisms . The fungi or bacteria which grow inside the plant tissue without causing any harm to the host are termed as endophytes. They associate with the majority of plant species found in natural and managed ecosystems. Endophytes are considered as important plant partners that play an important role in improving stress tolerance of the host compared to those that lack such symbiosis]. Most endophytes are found without any known effect, but numerous bacteria and fungi establish a mutualistic or pathogenic association with the host plant. Mostly, the outcome of interactions relies on the environmental factors, the genotype of both the host and the interacting microorganism. Endophytes are the microorganisms, which colonize symptomless the living plant tissue without causing any immediate, overt, negative effect on the plant.