Biomass yield, nutritive value and accumulation of minerals in Trifolium subterraneum L. as affected by fungal endophytes

Abstract

Background and aims Trifolium subterraneum is a legume species which is valuable for feeding livestock and frequently used as a forage crop in countries with temperate or Mediterranean-like climates. The aim of the present work was to evaluate the effect of six leaf fungal endophytes on biomass production, nutritive value and mineral status of T. subterraneum forage. Methods Plants were inoculated with each of seven treatments (six endophytes + control) at two different growth stages. After inoculation, two experiments (under greenhouse and field conditions) were established. Results Endophytes affected biomass yield, nutritive value and mineral status of T. subterraneum forage, but effects varied between experiments and depended on fungal species. E202 (Chaetosphaeronema sp.) increased forage productivity by around 80 % in the field. Fusarium lateritium and E244 (Pleosporales) reduced Al concentration, and Epicoccum nigrum reduced Pb of the forage in the greenhouse experiment. An increase in essential nutrients, such as Zn, was mainly produced by Stemphylium globuliferum. Conclusions This study demonstrated that inoculation with endophytes can increase forage productivity and help reduce potential nutrient deficiencies and/or potential mineral toxicity in T. subterraneum.

Editorial special issue: soil, plants and endophytes

“…Here, studies by Lledó et al (2016) and Casas et al (2016) focused on foliar fungal endophytes and how they may modulate plant-animal interactions using less studied species and ecosystem functions. Lledó et al (2016) evaluated the association of six leaf fungal endophytes on Trifolium subterraneum forage. They described that beneficial endophytic fungi affected biomass yield, nutritive value and mineral status of this legume species, although effects varied between experiments and depended on fungal species.…”

Fungal endophytes of turmeric (Curcuma longa L.) and their biocontrol potential against pathogens Pythium aphanidermatum and Rhizoctonia solani

“…Endophytes are microorganisms that live within the plant tissue as endosymbionts, without causing any disease symptoms. Some of them are mutualistic symbionts with beneficial effect on their host such as plant growth promotion, resistance against disease or environmental stress (Colla et al 2015;Lledo et al 2016). A large number of endophytic fungi have been isolated from plant species (Nisa et al 2015).…”

Effect of Fungal Endophytes on Plant Growth and Nutrient Uptake in Trifolium Subterraneum and Poa Pratensis as Affected by Plant Host Specificity

“…Several studies concerning the effect of endophytes on a single pasture host under the same environmental conditions have already been conducted in Poa pratensis (Lledó et al 2015), Trifolium subterraneum (Lledó et al 2016a) and another legume species such as Ornithopus compressus (Santamaria et al 2017), but they were carried out with a different set of fungal endophytes and the effect of the host was not considered. Therefore, in order to nd a wider number of fungal endophytes with positive effects on the general performance of plant hosts and at the same time to evaluate the speci city of these eventual effects, the objective of the present study was to assess the effect of the arti cial inoculation with each of ve different species of non-clavicipitaceous endophytes on the forage yield (herbage and root biomass), quality traits and nutrient uptake in two important and not very taxonomically related forage crops, such as a leguminous species (Trifolium subterraneum) and a gramineous species (Poa pratensis).…”