Effect of climate and phenological stage on fungal endophytes community in Sorghum bicolor leaves

Abstract Endophytic fungi comprise a group of polyphyletic microorganisms of great diversity, which can be modulated by biotic and abiotic factors. In the present study, we analyzed the diversity and distribution of the endophytic fungal community associated with leaves of Sorghum bicolor crops in two areas of Brazilian forests and inferred the influence of climate and host phenology on their occurrence. The results obtained in this study showed that S. bicolor has a rich and diverse community of endophytic fungi distributed in Ascomycota, Basidiomycota and Mucoromycota, with members of Dothideomycetes and Sordariomycetes as dominant groups. The community of endophytic fungi was influenced by two factors: rainfall and plant phenological stage. Filamentous fungi colonization increases as the post-blooming stage, and the fungal response is relative to its growth form. Further researches are needed to better understand the implications of endophytic-host association with sorghum crops.