Bibliometric analysis of plant endophytic fungal diversity research based on Web of Science core collection database and CiteSpace

Abstract:

[Background] Endophytes exist in almost all plants that have been studied so far, and plant hosts infected with endophytes often experience rapid growth and develop resistance to stress, diseases, and natural enemies. Studies have been conducted regarding the endophyte diversity, while few studies involve quantitative statistics and analysis. [Objective] To study the current research status and hotspots of endophytic fungal diversity by bibliometrics. [Methods] The relevant articles were retrieved from the Web of Science (WOS) Core Collection with the keywords of “endophytic fungal diversity and plant” and the time interval of 1992-2022. The number of articles, journals, research institutions, main authors, and keywords were analyzed and the distribution was visualized by CiteSpace. [Results] The keyword burst analysis showed that biodiversity, symbiosis, and soil were closely related to the period of article surging in this field. The cluster analysis of keywords yielded 9 keyword tags in 3 hot research directions. [Conclusion] The number of articles published in English about endophytic fungal diversity and plant has grown rapidly since 2019. Endophytic fungal diversity, promotion of host growth by endophytic fungi, and medicinal properties of secondary metabolites of endophytic fungi are currently the focuses of research in this field. In the future, high-impact authors and institutions should enhance collaboration and carry out in-depth and systematic research on the three hot spots and shortcomings in this field.