First Report of Dark Septate Endophytes imaged in Cucurbita maxima grown in the Eastern United States

Jonathan D Hulse*

Clemson University, Poole Agricultural Center, Jersey Ln, Clemson, Miami University, Center for Advanced Microscopy and Imaging, Oxford, USA

*Corresponding Author: Jonathan D. Hulse, Clemson University, Poole Agricultural Center, Jersey Ln, Clemson, Miami University, Center for Advanced Microscopy and Imaging, Oxford, USA. E-mail: ectorhizo@gmail.com

Received: April 27, 2018; Published: May 24, 2018

Citation: Jonathan D Hulse. “First Report of Dark Septate Endophytes imaged in Cucurbita maxima grown in the Eastern United States". Acta Scientific Agriculture 2.6 (2018).

Abstract

  Dark Septate Endophytes (DSE) are a type mycorrizal fungi that has mixed ecological rolls in the host plant. The cucurbit, Cucurbita maxima is an incredibly diverse species, and suggested to have more cultivated forms than any other crop species. C. maxima has many medicinal uses, including anti-diabetic, anti-oxidant, anticancer, and anti-inflammatory properties, and is also a major food source due to its fiber content, carbohydrates, β-carotene, vitamins, alkaloids, minerals, fatty acids, flavonoid, and diverse polysaccharide content. Currently, the scientific literature is missing definitive documentation of DSE associated with Cucurbita maxima in the United States of America. This study utilizes light microscopy as supportive evidence to show dark septate endophyte relationship with different varieties of Cucurbita maxima.

Keywords: Ascomycota; Ascomycetes; Dark Septate Endophytes; DSE; Fungi; Fungal; Cucurbit; Cucurbita maxima; Cucurbitaceae; Microscopy; Microscope; Tetraploa; Hyphae; Microsclerotia

Copyright: © 2018 Jonathan D Hulse. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.