The Colonization and Effect of Isaria cateinannulata on Buckwheat Sprouts

Abstract

The use of entomogenous fungi as endophytes is currently an area of active research. Isaria cateniannulata is an important entomogenous fungus that has been employed for the active control of a range of pests in agricultural and forestry settings, but its direct impact on plants remains to be evaluated. Herein, we assessed the ability of I. cateniannulata to colonize buckwheat, Fagopyrum esculentum and F. tataricum, and its impact on buckwheat defense enzyme activity and physiological indexes. The majority of fungal submerge condia was able to enter into leaves through stomata and veins, and this was followed by conidial attachment, lytic enzyme secretion, conidial deformation, and enhanced defensive enzyme activity within buckwheat, followed by the repair of damaged tissue structures. I. cateniannulata populations on buckwheat leaf surfaces (in CFU/g) reached the minimum values at 24 h after inoculation. At this time, the blast analysis revealed that the sequence identity values were 100%, which was consistent with the sequence of I. cateniannula. The number of I. cateniannulata submerge conidia colonized in the buckwheat leaves gradually rose to peak levels on 7 d post-inoculation, and then gradually declined until 10 d, at which time the buckwheat plant growth index values increased. This study provided novel evidence that I. cateniannulata could be leveraged as an endophytic fungus capable of colonizing buckwheat plants and promoting their growth.

Positive effects of Cordyceps cateniannulata colonization in tobacco: Growth promotion and resistance to abiotic stress

“…Tobacco growth and dry matter accumulation had significantly improved, especially in the middle period after inoculation. These results were in consistent with observation made in other studies (Mantzoukas et al, 2021;Zhang et al, 2022). Those results indicated that some strains of Cordyceps may still retain the characteristics of endosymbiosis with plants in the long-term evolutionary process.…”

“…In addition, this fungus also acts to promote the growth of host plants. In recent years, reports on growth promotion have gradually emerged, such as it could colonize and promote the growth of buckwheat (Zhang et al, 2022), increasing the germination index of seeds of buckwheat (Peng et al, 2022), and increasing the tomato biomass (Guan et al, 2022). However, the holistic evaluation of C. cateniannulata on the plant and the effect on the rhizosphere soil has not been explored yet.…”

Studies on the Phosphorus-Solubilizing Ability of Isaria cateinannulata and Its Influence on the Growth of Fagopyrum tataricum Plants

“…However, the plant height of F. tataricum was significantly higher than that of the control group, i.e., 1.17 times, 1.07 times, and 1.09 times higher than the control group, respectively ( p < 0.05) ( Table 2 ). This phenomenon can be attributed to the promotion of F. tataricum growth via root irrigation with I. cateinannulata [ 38 , 40 ]. Additionally, the main root length in the experimental group significantly surpassed that in the control group, being 1.24 times, 1.30 times, and 1.18 times higher than the control group, respectively ( p < 0.05) ( Table 2 ).…”

“…It serves as an entomopathogenic fungus that is capable of controlling pests and diseases, while also promoting plant growth [38,39]. At present, it is found to enhance the growth of Tartary buckwheat seeds [38,40], tobacco [41,42], tomatoes [43], and other plants through endophytic colonization. However, it has not been reported whether its promotion of plant growth is related to its phosphorussolubilizing ability.…”

The diversity of endophytic fungi in Tartary buckwheat (Fagopyrum tataricum) and its correlation with flavonoids and phenotypic traits

“…Extensive research on fungal plant interactions has focused on endophytic fungi due to their ability to increase the content of secondary metabolites, enhance biocontrol capabilities, and promote host growth and development (Kumar and Verma, 2018;Mishra et al, 2021;Zhang et al, 2022). For instance, Alternaria in S. alopecuroides seeds has been identified as a potential promoter for the accumulation of bioactive compounds in the host (Ju et al, 2022).…”