The ascomycetous dark septate endophytic (DSE) fungi characterized by their melanized hyphae can confer abiotic stress tolerance in their associated plants in addition to improving plant growth and health. In this study inoculation of the DSE fungus Berk.& Broome significantly improved all the plant growth parameters like the plant height, stem girth, leaf characteristics and plant biomass of drought-stressed tomato. Root characters like the total root length, primary root diameter, 2nd order root number and diameter, root hair number and length were also significantly influenced by the fungal inoculation. Nevertheless, inoculation did not affect root colonization by native arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi and no significant correlation existed between the AM and DSE fungal variables examined. The proline accumulation in shoots of inoculated plants was significantly higher than uninoculated plants. The present study clearly indicates for the first time the ability of the DSE fungus, in inducing the drought stress tolerance and promoting the growth of the host plant under water stress.
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