ASSESSMENT OF FUNGAL MYROSINASE PRODUCTION BY THE ENDOPHYTIC, EPIPHYTIC AND RHIZOSPHERE SOIL FUNGAL SPECIES OF Eruca sativa

Myrosinase hydrolyzes glucosinolates giving various products depending on the physiological conditions. The hydrolysis products especially isothiocyanates have antibacterial, antifungal, anticancer activity, act as soil biofumigant, natural pesticides and food preservatives. Myrosinase is mainly found in cruciferous plants but few literatures reported its production by both fungi and bacteria. In this study, fifty eight fungal species were isolated from Eruca sativa and its soil (endophytic isolates from root and leaves, epiphytic isolates and rhizosphere soil isolates) and screened for myrosinase activity. About thirty six isolates (62.07% of the screened fungal isolates) were able to produce myrosinase. Isolates that exhibited myrosinase activity were 79.3% of the rhizosphere soil isolates (twenty one isolates), 63.64% of the epiphytic isolates (seven isolates), 50% of the root endophytic isolates (five isolates) and 37.5% of leaves endophytic isolates (three isolates) exhibited myrosinase activity. They belonged to the genera Aspergillus, Penicellium, Fusarium, Eumericella, Alternaria and Sclerotium. Eumericella violacea and Fusarium dimerium represented the highest percentage among myrosinase producers with 16.67%, followed with Aspergillus parasiticus, Aspergillus fumigates and Penicellium echinulatum with 8.33%. Quantitative screening indicated that Eumericella violacae (an isolate from the rhizosphere soil of E.sativa) produced the highest myrosinase activity with value15.23±0.62 U/ml.