Endophytes of Medicinal Plants: Diversity and Bioactivity

Abstract

Plants are home to a diverse range of microbial communities. These microbes are present either on the epiphytic regions or inside the plant tissue as endophytes and play an integral role in growth promotion, phytopathogen control, and the management of various biotic and abiotic stresses. In this chapter, we summarized the diversity pattern of endophytic microorganisms associated with medicinal plants and their potential role in metabolite synthesis within the host plant. Medicinal plants harbor a plethora of bioactive compounds that are directly or indirectly used for the treatments of various human ailments. The endophytic diversity pattern of medicinal plants will provide insight into their potential and beneficial use, especially for the modulation of bioactive compounds. © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2022.