Isolation and identification of fungi associated with Lumnitzera racemosa in Universiti Malaysia Terengganu

Abstract

Mangroves have been used for a long time ago as traditional medicine, however it is not known whether the bioactive compounds are from the plant itself or microorganisms associated with the plant. In this study, fungi associated with Lumnitzera racemosa were isolated and investigated. The sampling site of the mangrove is in the zone 1, UMT. In order to isolate the fungi, fragments of leaves, branches and roots were cultured using two different techniques, Direct Plating and Damp Incubation Technique. For identification, Slide Culture Technique was used. There are five different species obtained from Direct Plating Technique and 11 different species obtained from Damp Incubation Technique. There are 10 species of fungi belonging to ascomycete, three from deuteromycete, two from zygomycete and only one from basidiomycete. From the total number of 16 fungal species, four were identified as marine fungi and 12 were terrestrial fungi. Antibacterial test has also been carried out using Pestalotiopsis sp. extract, however, it did not exhibit any antibacterial activity. Other fungal isolates can be used further to investigate the potential bioactive compounds that can be produced by the fungi.