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ABSTRACT
Okra (Abelmoschus esculentus L.) is the only vegetable crop with utmost significance in the Malvaceae family and it is very popular in the Indo-Pak subcontinent, in India as well as Africa. The health benefits associated with the crop has increased its popularity in recent times. It is regarded as an important medicinal plant and is commonly used in traditional medical practices. Plant Endophytes are symptomless inhabitants of plant species and they are complex, diverse and specific. The associations of endophytic fungi are often symbiotic as they exist in the tissues of plants without posing any threats. Endophytic colonization of plant species is affected by nutrient availability, climate, and the presence of other microorganisms. Presence of endophytes has been known to increase plant resistance to diseases. In past studies, the presence of dark septate endophytes has been known to give plants ability for increased nutrient derivation and assimilation, as well as resistance to biotic and abiotic stress. Their presence has also been noted to contribute to the optimum plant growth and immunity to pest attacks. There has been a need to understand endophyte colonization diversity to some extent, stirring up experimental efforts to study their behavior, reproduction, favorable weather conditions or climate under which they thrive, pre- dominant groups or genera in different ecosystems and so on. This research experiment was carried out in order to study the variation that exists among seed- borne endophytic fungal species isolated from a particular plant species Abelmoschus esculentus L. gotten from two known locations in Nigeria; a local farm in Ikpoba Okha local government area, Benin city and a local farm in Ughelli south local government area, Delta State. The seeds were obtained from the plant pods, taken to the laboratory and surface sterilized, then Potato Dextrose Agar was used in preparation of a Nutrient medium on which several mixed fungal cultures were grown. These fungal cultures were further sub-cultured and five different fungal pure cultures/ species were isolated from the seeds obtained from Ughelli south and three different fungal cultures/ species were isolated from the seeds obtained from Ikpoba okha and they were culturally identified; different seed- borne fungal species were suspected to have emerged from both locations but there was little distinction among them as similar endophytes were suspected to have emerged from seeds from both locations. Inferentially, the difference in ecological zones as well as difference in substrate or soil conditions were not determinants of the kind or the species of endophytic fungi that colonized or that were present in the okra plants.
