POTENTIALS OF ENDOPHYTES OF Rhododendron arboreum FOR THE PRODUCTION OF PLANT GROWTH PROMOTING FACTORS & ANTIMICROBIAL COMPOUNDS

Plants belonging to a diverse variety have established an endosymbiotic relationship with various types of microbes. These microorganisms reside within plants or for a certain period of the plant’s life cycle without causing any harm. Endophytes possess the ability to boost the growth of host plant, to promote resistance against pathogens andaid in acquiring nutrition as well as help in overcoming various abiotic stresses. In the given study, 15 bacterial strains were isolated from the host plant of Rhododendron arboreum var. arboreum (RHA) and 20 bacterial strains from host plant Rhododendron arboreum var. cinnamoneum (RLA). Different plant parts were used to isolate the endosymbionts, the bacterial strains showed significant levels of plant hormones viz. Auxin and Gibberellin. 2 isolatesfrom RHA and 4 isolates from RLA could solubilize phosphate whereas 9 isolates of RHA exhibited nitrogen fixing property and for RLA, 8 isolates showed nitrogen fixing ability. In addition to this, the bacterial strains showed antimicrobial activity against human pathogenic strains viz. Klebsiella, Pseudomonas, Vibrio and E. coli. Therefore, this study suggests that Endosymbionts are a reservoir of bioactive compounds that can have beneficial impact in agriculture, pharmaceutical and other industries.