Assessment of Plant Growth Promoting and Abiotic Stress Tolerance Properties of Wheat Endophytic Fungi

Abstract

The aims of the present work were to isolate and characterize fungal endophytic communities associated with healthy wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) plants, collected from the North China. Segregated endophytes were screened for their PGP traits, abiotic stresses (heavy metals, salinity, drought, and temperature), and antibiotic sensitivity. A total of 16 endophytic fungi were isolated using the culture-dependent approach from different tissue parts of wheat plants. Based upon their internal transcribed spacer (ITS) rDNA gene sequencing, 15 out of 16 isolates were selected for further analysis. In the contemporary investigation, a number of the tested endophytes exhibited fairly good 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid deaminase (ACCD) (0.03±0.011 to 1.43±0.01 µmol α-KB mg−1 protein hr−1), indole acetic acid (IAA) (1.125±0.04 to36.12±0.004µgml−1), and phosphate solubilizing index (PSI) (2.08±0.03to5.16±0.36) activities. More than 30% isolates gave positive result for siderophore and ammonia tests, whereas all exhibited catalase activity but only 2 (582PDA1 and 582PDA11) produced hydrogen cyanide. Trichoderma strains showed salt, heavy metals, and drought tolerance at high levels and also exhibited resistance to all the tested antibiotics. Strain 582PDA4 was found to be the most temperature (55°C) tolerant isolate. The findings of this study indicated that the microbial endophytes isolated from wheat plants possessing a crucial function to improve plant growth could be utilized as biofertilizers or bioagents to establish a sustainable crop production system.

Phyllospheric Microbiomes: Diversity, Ecological Significance, and Biotechnological Applications

“…Apart from yeast-like fungi, many filamentous fungi have been reported from health as well as infected plant leaves. Through the culture-dependent method, Ripa et al (2019) isolated Aspergillus niger, Fusarium oxysporum, Penicillium aurantiogriseum, Fusarium incarnatum, Alternaria alternata, Alternaria tenuissima, Cladosporium cladosporioides, Talaromyces funiculosus, Aspergillus flavus, Trichoderma aureoviride, Trichoderma harzianum, Penicillium janthinellum, Fusarium proliferatum, Fusarium equiseti, and Aspergillus stellatus from wheat plant. Dhayanithy et al (2019) isolated twenty endophytic fungi from the leaves and stem of Catharanthus roseus, among them Colletotrichum, Alternaria, and Chaetomium were the dominant genera.…”

Patents on Endophytic Fungi for Agriculture and Bio- and Phytoremediation Applications

“…Abiotic stress affects the cellular pathways of plants, resulting in negative changes to their physiology and morphology [ 12 ]. Endophytic fungi have been shown to help their host plant to overcome abiotic stress and promote plant growth through the biosynthesis of phytohormones (indole-3-acetic-acid, gibberellins, cytokinins, ethylene, acetoin, 2, 3-butanediol) and nutrient absorption and uptake [ 12 , 13 , 14 ].…”

Indole-3-acetic acid synthesizing chromium-resistant bacteria can mitigate chromium toxicity in Helianthus annuus L.

“…The plants possess certain regulatory mechanisms for chromium detoxification, including reduction of Cr 6+ to Cr 3+ in the thin lateral roots, immobilisation of Cr ions by a root cell wall, the formation of highly stable complexes including peptides, carbohydrates, nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH) and organic acids. The storage of these complexes in root vascular cells caused morphological and physiological changes (Zhou et al 2019, Ripa et al 2019. The defense mechanisms act as a shelter for the growing plants from adverse effects of chromium and also protect them from inhibition of seed germination, protein inactivation, modification in enzyme activity, DNA damage, inhibition of electron transport systems and the overall reduction of photosynthesis leading to leaf chlorosis in extreme situation (Francisco et al 2018).…”