Brassica oleracea var. acephala (kale) improvement by biological activity of root endophytic fungi

Abstract

Brassica oleracea var. acephala (kale) is a cruciferous vegetable widely cultivated for its leaves and flower buds in Atlantic Europe and the Mediterranean area, being a food of great interest as a "superfood" today. Little has been studied about the diversity of endophytic fungi in the Brassica genus, and there are no studies regarding kale. In this study, we made a survey of the diversity of endophytic fungi present in the roots of six different Galician kale local populations. In addition, we investigated whether the presence of endophytes in the roots was beneficial to the plants in terms of growth, cold tolerance, or resistance to bacteria and insects. The fungal isolates obtained belonged to 33 different taxa. Among those, a Fusarium sp. and Pleosporales sp. A between Setophoma and Edenia (called as Setophoma/Edenia) were present in many plants of all five local populations, being possible components of a core kale microbiome. For the first time, several interactions between endophytic fungus and Brassica plants are described and is proved how different interactions are beneficial for the plant. Fusarium sp. and Pleosporales sp. B close to Pyrenophora (called as Pyrenophora) promoted plant growth and increased cold tolerance. On the other hand, isolates of Trichoderma sp., Pleosporales sp. C close to Phialocephala (called as Phialocephala), Fusarium sp., Curvularia sp., Setophoma/Edenia and Acrocalymma sp. were able to activate plant systemic resistance against the bacterial pathogen Xanthomonas campestris. We also observed that Fusarium sp., Curvularia sp. and Setophoma/Edenia confered resistance against Mamestra brassicae larvae.

Inoculation With Ectomycorrhizal Fungi and Dark Septate Endophytes Contributes to the Resistance of Pinus spp. to Pine Wilt Disease

“…Many studies have shown that the colonization of ECMF and DSE could confer pathogen resistance to host plants (Mandyam and Jumpponen, 2005;Zhang and Tang, 2012;Zhang et al, 2017;Chu et al, 2019;Poveda et al, 2020), and this effect was observed in the present study, as well. Exogenous inoculation with ECMF/DSE delayed the development of PWD symptoms and reduced disease severity of P. tabulaeformis (Figure 1).…”

“…They colonize the epidermis and cortex of plant roots inter-and intra-cellularly and form characteristic structures of melanized hyphae and microsclerotia (Mandyam and Jumpponen, 2005). Poveda et al (2020) found that Brassica oleracea var. acephala (kale) root endophytes were able to activate a systemic resistance in the plant against the bacterial pathogen Xanthomonas campestris and confer resistance against Mamestra brassicae larvae.…”

“Breeding on Mountains” Resulted in the Reorganization of Endophytic Fungi in Asexually Propagated Plants (Ligusticum chuanxiong Hort.)

“…The rhizosphere offers varieties of carbon-rich micro-habitats, and beneficial microorganism populations can colonize by using such substrates (Caracciolo and Terenzi, 2021). Plants contribute to the assemblage of their rhizobiome (Mercado-Blanco et al, 2018;Sasse et al, 2018;Poveda et al, 2020), and some plant species can have their specific microbial community (Mhlongo et al, 2018), which can, in turn, change during their growing stage, and in different root regions, the results of the LZ(CX) rhizosphere fungal communities tending to be similar in this study are consistent with this view. The composition of root exudates may be different and lead to differences in rhizosphere microbial populations, depending on plant species, growth phases, exposure of a plant to stress conditions, and, sometimes, differences in plants of the same species (Sasse et al, 2018;Zhalnina et al, 2018;Caracciolo and Terenzi, 2021).…”

Long-term maize-Desmodium intercropping shifts structure and composition of soil microbiome with stronger impact on fungal communities

“…The increased abundance of several soil fungal groups noted in intercropping plots in this study, such as Edenia and Clonostachys species, is particularly noteworthy in this context. Species belonging to these genera are associated with increased plant health, biocontrol of plant diseases and increased resistance against herbivore damage on plants (Iqbal et al 2018;Macías-Rubalcava et al 2008;Poveda et al 2020).…”