| Summary: | Fungi colonizing the surface and endosphere of two widespread <i>Poaceae</i> weed species, <i>Avena fatua</i> and <i>Echinochloa crus-galli</i>, were isolated to compare the taxonomic composition between the plant species, location, and year of the seed collection. The seed-degrading potential of <i>Fusarium</i> isolated from the seeds was tested by inoculating seeds of <i>E. crus-galli</i> with spore suspension. Molecular identification of epiphytic and endophytic fungal genera was performed by sequencing the ITS region of rDNA. Endophytes comprised of significantly lower fungal richness compared to epiphytes. A significant taxonomic overlap was observed between the endosphere and seed surface. The most abundant genera were <i>Alternaria</i>, <i>Fusarium</i>, <i>Cladosporium,</i> and <i>Sarocladium</i>. Analysis of similarities and hierarchical clustering showed that microbial communities were more dissimilar between the two plant species than between the years. <i>Fusarium</i> isolates with a high potential to infect and degrade <i>E. crus-galli</i> seeds in laboratory conditions belong to <i>F. sporotrichioides</i> and <i>F. culmorum</i>.
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