Endophytic Fungi: Potential Source of Allelochemicals for Sustainable Agriculture

A diverse group of microorganisms known as plant-associated fungi, also known as endophytic fungi, are usually found anonymously between the cell’s gaps and in plant tissue. These endophytic fungi as allelochemical producers were identified on the leaf of Bursera simaruba, which belongs to family Burseraceae. By the formation of secondary metabolites that boost the plant’s tolerance to biological stresses, growth of host plant is enhance by endophytic fungi. Additionally, they have the ability to biosynthesize “phytochemicals” that are therapeutically important but were formerly believed that only formed by the plant that serves as the host. Between 2011 and 2021, compound from endophytic fungi with wide range of biological activity and novel structure are published and especially identify the endophytic fungi origin, focus on biological and structural activity of compound they form, and special attention given to pharmacological activity of endophytic fungi and mechanism of specific compound. This chapter shows that endophytic fungi have greater capacity that are harnessed as the other way of secondary compounds for the study of pharmacology.