Isolation and identification of fungi associated with avicennia alba in Universiti Malaysia Terengganu

Abstract

Mangrove plants have great potentials in the production of bioactive compounds that can be used for medicinal purposes. However, it is not certain whether the compounds are produced by mangrove plant itself or by microbes associated with the plant. In this study, fungi associated with Avicennia alba were isolated and identified. The sampling site of A. alba tree is in Zone 2, UMT, Terengganu. In order to isolate and identify the fungus, fragments of leaves, branches and roots were cultured using three techniques which are the direct culture technique, damp incubation technique and slide culture technique. A total of 15 species of fungi were isolated using direct culture technique while seven species were isolated from damp incubation technique. Overall, there were 19 species of fungi being isolated and identified: three Zygomycetes, six Ascomycetes, one Basidiomycete and nine Deuteromycetes. Out of 19 species, 12 of them belong to terrestrial fungi while seven were marine fungi. These fungal isolates can be used further to investigate the potential bioactive compound(s) produced by the fungi.