Endophytic Fusarium oxysporum GW controlling weed and an effective biostimulant for wheat growth

Abstract

Wheat crop has to compete with several weeds including Avena fatua, a noxious weed that alone is responsible for 30–70% losses in the yield annually. Because of the environmental concerns associated with conventional methods, researchers are on a continuous hunt to find clean alternatives in order to manage weeds. Fungi have shown promising weedicide potential in lab studies. The current study aimed to isolate endophytic fungi from wheat plants which can promote wheat growth and inhibit the growth of common weed, A. fatua. Of several isolates, GW (grayish white) was selected for its promising features, and the strain was identified as Fusarium oxisporum through ITS sequencing technique. This fungus released a number of compounds including Isovitexin, Calycosin, quercetagetin, and dihydroxy-dimethoxyisoflavone that inhibited the growth of A. fatua but did not influence the growth of wheat seedlings. Biomass of this fungus in the soil also reduced growth parameters of the weed and promoted the growth of wheat. For instance, the vigor index of A. fatua seedlings was reduced to only 6% of the control by this endophyte. In contrast, endophyte-associated wheat seedlings showed a higher vigor index than the control. Behind this differential response of the two plants were their contrasting physiological and biochemical status. Lower growth phenotypes of A. fatua seedlings had reduced levels of IAA, GAs, and SA and higher the levels of JA and ABA. Besides, their ROS scavenging ability was also compromised as evident from relatively lower activities of catalase, peroxidase, and ascorbic acid oxidase, as well as higher accumulation of ROS in their leaves. Wheat seedlings response to GW was opposite to the A. fatua. It may be concluded that F. oxysporum GW has the ability to differentially modulate physiology and biochemistry of the two hosts leading to contrasting phenotypic responses.

Interaction studies of Serendipita indica and Zhihengliuella sp. ISTPL4 and their synergistic role in growth promotion in rice

“… Asim et al. (2022) observed increased root and aerial biomass, root and stem length, vigor index, and germination using wheat ( Triticum aestivum ) and endophytic fungus Fusarium oxysporum ( Asim et al., 2022 ; Poveda et al., 2022 ).…”

“… Asim et al. (2022) observed increased root and aerial biomass, root and stem length, vigor index, and germination using wheat ( Triticum aestivum ) and endophytic fungus Fusarium oxysporum ( Asim et al., 2022 ; Poveda et al., 2022 ). It has also been reported that inoculating plants with S. indica or Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) boosts photosynthetic efficiency by increasing the chlorophyll content of leaves, surface area of leaves, stomatal conductance, and sugar content of leaves ( Das et al., 2012 ; Baishya et al., 2015 ).…”

Propagation and shelf-life of weed pathogenic fungi in alternative media and their effectiveness in billygoat (Ageratum conyzoides L)

“…The biological control agents generally used are fungi, because of their destructive properties, mass production, direct formulation, and direct applications (Hyde et al, 2019). One of the biological control fungi for weeds is Fusarium oxysporum (Soesanto et al, 2020;Asim et al, 2022) and Curcularia lunata (Li et al, 2013). Both fungi have received special attention in biological weed management.…”

Between Habitats: Transfer of Phytopathogenic Fungi along Transition Zones from Kettle Hole Edges to Wheat Ears

“…Annually, up to 15–20% of agricultural yield losses are caused by fungal-associated diseases worldwide [ 1 , 2 ]. Wheat ( Triticum aestivum L.) is one of the most economically important crops in the world [ 3 ], but unfavorably, wheat is highly susceptible to fungal infections. Fusarium and Alternaria fungi are responsible for prominent infections of various crops, including summer and winter wheat [ 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 ].…”

“…With regard to fungal infection processes, remaining crop debris above and below the soil can harbor pathogenic fungi and support their development and sporulation, and offer them a habitat to overwinter [ 10 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 ]. Arable weeds were often underestimated, but are now recognized to play a major role in the inoculation of crops with pathogenic filamentous fungi [ 3 , 10 , 16 , 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 ]. They offer a broad host range for fungal pathogens, including Fusarium and Alternaria , and can act as both alternative and alternate hosts for these species [ 24 ].…”