Nota Corta: Endophytic fungi in healthy soybean leaves

SUMMARY Fungal endophytes were isolated from healthy cultivated soybean leaves at two growth stages (R2-R3 and R4-R5) during the growing season 1997/98. Samples were obtained from a segregating population (F 3 generation) cultivated at the experimental field of the Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias y Forestales, Universidad Nacional de La Plata, Buenos Aires, Argentina. Twelve genera of endophytic fungi were isolated and identified. In general, in both growth stages the same species were isolated and most of them did not show significant differences in their infection frequencies. Most of the fungi isolated are cited as soybean pathogens in different places of the world. The most commonly isolated endophytes included Alternaria alternata and Glomerella cingulata (= Colletotrichum gloeosporioides). Key words: endophytes, Glycine max Endophytes are fungi that form inapparent infections within leaves and stems of healthy plant