Fungal endophytes from salt-adapted plants confer salt tolerance and promote growth in Wheat (Triticum aestivumL.) at early seedling stage

Abstract

With increasing human global population, increased yield under saline conditions is a desirable trait for major food crops. Use of endophytes, isolated from halophytic hosts, seems to be an exciting approach for conferring salt tolerance to a salt sensitive crop. Therefore, in the current study, fungal endophytes were isolated from halophytic plants’ roots and their ability to withstand in vitro salt stress was evaluated. They could withstand upto 1M NaCl concentrations and this tolerance was independent of their host or tissue source. When inoculated on salt sensitive wheat seeds/seedlings several of the endophytes showed a positive impact on germination and biomass related parameters upon salt stress, both in vitro and under glasshouse conditions. One of the isolate from dicot plants (identified as Microsphaeropsis arundinis) could successfully colonize wheat and promote its growth under salt and no salt conditions. Amongst the fungal isolates that are known to be natural endophytes of wheat, Chaetomium globosum was the best performing isolate which has been reported as an effective biocontrol agent earlier. Based on the results of our preliminary study, we suggest that these fungal endophytes could prove beneficial for salt stress tolerance enhancement of wheat crop.

Potential in enhancement of salinity tolerance to crops in Vietnam’s Mekong Delta using endophytes: A review

“…Endophytes (endo, within; phyte, plant) are present in all living healthy plant species asymptomatically without any apparent symptoms or negative effects to their hosts. In addition, they show positive effects in promoting the plant growth and tolerating abiotic and biotic stresses [3,7]. In this regard, endophytes have been considered as the potential candidates promoting host plant under saline stress.…”

Plant growth promoting endophytic fungi of the wild halophytic rice Oryza coarctata

“…The ability to control cellular Na + , Cl − , and K + concentrations to modify the external water potential is a trait shared by all halophytes. Presumably, an endophyte from the halophytic host of a highly salty region adapts to the environment by developing its own mechanism to salt stress tolerance and thus can contribute to develop salinity tolerance in salt-sensitive crops grown in a less salty region when inoculated (Nanjundappa et al 2021). Endophytic fungi of coastal habitats may promote salt tolerance due to their symbiotic relationship with halophytic host plants, which optimizes defense against water salinity and enhances physiological response under stress.…”

Advancement in the molecular perspective of plant-endophytic interaction to mitigate drought stress in plants

“…Moreover, they also facilitate the production/accumulation of several bioactive compounds that contribute toward the (a) biotic stress tolerance response in the host plant (Lata et al, 2018;Mengistu, 2020;Morelli et al, 2020;Suryanarayanan and Shaanker, 2021). The endophyteassociated stress mitigation is largely dependent on the host environmental niche, for instance, the microbiota of plants from hot springs and coastal areas appear to endow heat and salinity tolerance, respectively (Rodriguez et al, 2008;Nanjundappa et al, 2021). This could be due to their ability to produce osmo-protective molecules like proline, melatonin, and carotenoid during abiotic stress exposure (Pacifico et al, 2019).…”