Positive growth responses of the medicinal plants Spilanthes calva and Withania somnifera to inoculation by Piriformospora indica in a field trial

Abstract

The medicinal plants Spilanthes calva and Withania somnifera were inoculated with Piriformospora indica, a plant growth-promoting root endophyte, in nurseries and subsequently transferred to the field. A significant increase in growth and yield of both plant species was recorded relative to uninoculated controls. Shoot and root length, biomass, basal stem, leaf area, overall size, number of inflorescences and flowers and seed production were all enhanced in the presence of the fungus. Net primary productivity was also higher than in control plants. The results clearly indicate the commercial potential of P. indica for large-scale cultivation of S. calva and W. somnifera.

Enigmatic Sebacinales

“…Similar results were reported for the medicinal plants, Spilanthes calva and Withania somnifera under nursery and field growth conditions (Rai et al 2001). Greenhouse and field pot culture experiments with P. indica inoculated Hordeum vulgare resulted in significantly increased growth and photosynthesis rates, as well as an enhanced resistance against the specific leave pathogen Blumeria graminis f. sp.…”

Effect of inoculation with piriformospora indica and sebacina vermifera on growth of selected brassicaceae plants under greenhouse conditions

“…For each plant species, 10 roots were selected randomly from the stained roots, and then each selected root was divided into 10 pieces. The percentage of colonization was calculated by the presence of chlamydospores in each piece as follows (Rai et al 2001):…”

“…In Baldi's et al (2008) publication, increase of cell growth in suspension cultures of Linum album was dependent on the concentration of fungal cells at co-cultivation cultures. Rai et al (2001) reported that shoot and root length, biomass, basal stem, leaf area, overall size, number of inflorescences and flowers and seed production of Spilanthes calva and Withania somnifera were enhanced in the presence of P. indica in roots. P. indica increased disease resistance and yield of the monocotyledonous plant barley (Waller et al 2005).…”

“…The ability of P. indica and S. vermifera in improving the growth rate of various host plants is well documented. Endophytic root colonization by this fungus enhances growth of the host plants Varma et al 1999;Rai et al 2001;Kumari et al 2003;Peskan-Berghoefer et al 2004;Waller et al 2005;Druege et al 2007;Das et al 2012;Franken ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 2012;Varma et al 2012;Unnikumar et al 2013). S. vermifera increased plant growth in Nicotiana attenuata (Barazani et al 2005) and plant cell growth in suspension cultures of Linum album (Baldi et al 2008).…”

Innovative Biological Solutions to Challenges in Sustainable Biofuels Production

“…So far, mycorrhizal application has shown a substantial increase in the yield properties such as aboveground biomass (Sramek et al, 2000). Although no clear mechanism other than an improvement in the nutritional status has been proposed (Toussaint, 2007), beneficial fungus-plant interactions has shown enhancement in productivity of crops by synthesizing a number of active compounds such as alkaloids, oils, resins, tannins, natural rubber, gums, waxes, dyes, flavors and fragrances, pharmaceuticals, and pesticides (Rai et al, 2001). For example, the suitable selection of host plant-fungus genotype led to an altered accumulation of essential oil levels in arbuscular mycorrhiza-colonized plants of Mentha arvensis (Freitas et al, 2004) and sweet basil Ocimum basilicum L. (Copetta et al, 2006;Copetta et al, 2007;Toussaint, 2007).…”