*2.1. Isolation and Molecular Identification of Endophytic Fungi*

Five DME isolates were recovered (ZF01, ZF02, ZF03, ZF04, and ZF05) from leaf segments of the wild *D. nobile*. The colony morphological traits of the DME isolates, such as hyphal structures and spore arrangements, were used for their identification. The isolated endophytic fungal colony characteristics and microscopic characteristics findings were found as follows: (1) ZF01: fast grower (35 ± 0.2 mm), flat and buff growth surface, whitish color, reverse whitish to grey/orange, margin irregular mycelium with conidiogenous cells hyaline to pale brown, conidia hyaline with round ends, smooth-walled; (2) ZF02: moderate grower (16 ± 0.2 mm), colony flat velvety, white color with no diffusing pigment coloration, margin irregular, white rims, mycelium with microconidia oval and elongated and clavate, sickle-shaped conidia containing numerous septations, septate hyaline hyphae; (3) ZF03: fast grower (25 ± 0.2 mm), colony cottony white to light violet color, aerial white margins septate and hyaline, macroconidia slightly curved and thick with an attenuated apical cell, three to five septa, short aerial conidiophore, unbranched, microconidia non-septate, aerial conidia, ellipsoidal to cylindrical, slightly curved; (4) ZF04: fast grower (28 ± 0.2 mm), colony cottony white to light white with creamy to white-greyish and reverse light yellow color, irregular white margins with cream yellow edges with long and narrow macroconidia, cylindrical, dorsal and ventral surface parallel, three to five septa, phyalide long and thin; and (5) ZF05: fast grower (34 ± 0.2 mm), colony cottony off white to greenish, later green tufts sporulation, irregular white margins with very hyaline hyphae, long conidiophores, flask-shaped single phialides, small-walled ellipsoidal conidia, formed chlamydospores (smooth walled) in terminal or intercalary (Table S1). Molecular characterization was used to confirm isolate identification in which the rDNA (recombinant deoxyribose nucleic acid)-ITS (internal transcribed spacer) region was amplified. The sequences data were aligned using BLAST (basic local alignment search tool). The endophytic fungi were found to be the closest homologs of *Colletotrichum tropicicola* (ZF01), *Fusarium keratoplasticum* (ZF02), *Fusarium oxysporum* (ZF03), *Fusarium solani* (ZF04), and *Trichoderma longibrachiatum* (ZF05) (Figure 1). Results from BLAST were categorized for the isolated endophytes under ascomycota, which coincided with the morphological identification. These were represented by class Sordariomycetes, including isolates belonging to *Colletotrichum* and *Trichoderma*, and Hypocreales included isolates belonging to *Fusarium*. These were the most frequent and dominant endophytic fungi isolated from *D. nobile*.
