I am looking for methods to distinguish between these two cases. For instance, in literature, the Botryosphaeriaceae fungi have an endophytic stage, on the other hand, some Colletotrichum species have a quiescent infection.
Leonardo Brandão I am afraid that only plant reaction can differentiate endophytic (probably beneficial for host) and pathogenic (quiescent / latent infection, thus harmful) fungi. I remember that somebody estimated that >60% of plant infection is present in latent stage (symptomless) .
To be sure the isolated fungi are the endophytes not the pathogen, the isolation process must be occuerd in sterile conditions and from healthy plants
Endophytic fungi and fungi with quiescent infections can both colonize plant tissues without causing obvious disease symptoms. However, there are some differences between these two types of fungal infections:
To differentiate between endophytic fungi and fungi with quiescent infections, various techniques can be used, such as:
- Badges
- Science method