The growth and medicinal quality ofEpimedium wushanenseare improved by an isolate of dark septate fungus

Abstract

Context: Seven dark-septate endophytic (DSE) fungi have been isolated from the roots of Epimedium wushanense T. S. Ying (Berberidaceae), an important medicinal plant with various pharmacological activities. Objective: The current study explores the effects of seven DSE fungi on the growth and accumulation of bioactive compounds in E. wushanense. Materials and methods: Each 1-month-old E. wushanense seedling was inoculated with one of the seven DSE fungi and was grown under greenhouse conditions for 90 d. The molecular identification of the fungi was based on the ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 nuclear ribosomal gene cluster. Results:The results showed that the influence of DSE fungi inoculation varied between strains. Inoculation with DSE8 not only significantly enhanced plant height, root length, leaf area, leaf number, and shoot and root biomass but also improved the total flavonoid and icariin content, with an increase ranging from 20.24% to 237.97%. Three of the seven DSE fungi caused the inoculated plants to die, and the remaining three DSE strains showed neutral or negative effects on plant growth and the accumulation of bioactive compounds. According to the ITS sequence, DSE8 is congeneric to the genus Leptodontidium. Discussion and conclusion: The findings indicate that application of DSE8 may be valuable to facilitate the cultivation of E. wushanense with a higher biomass and improved medicinal quality.

Characterization of Dark Septate Endophytic Fungi and Improve the Performance of Liquorice Under Organic Residue Treatment

“…The SEM analysis and variance partitioning showed that DSE significantly and directly influenced plant biomass, root surface area, and plant active ingredient and mineral nutrient content; DSE is the primary factor affecting the growth and active ingredients of liquorice. This was consistent with the findings of previous studies that DSE affect the growth and medicinal quality of medicinal plants (Wu et al, 2010; Zhang et al, 2012; Zhu et al, 2015). Meanwhile, to our knowledge, this study is the first to report the positive influence of P. putaminum as a plant pathogen on plant growth (Jiang et al, 2017).…”

“…However, nutrient deficiency and drought stress affects the quality and productivity of cultivated liquorice. To seek and apply effective methods for high-yield and high-quality plant material, recent studies have focused on investigating soil microorganisms that are beneficial to the medicinal plants (Zubek and Błaszkowski, 2009; Zhu et al, 2015). The beneficial effects of root-associated fungi such as arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), dark septate endophytic (DSE) fungi, and Trichoderma spp.…”

Dark Septate Root Endophytic Fungus Nectria haematococca Improves Tomato Growth Under Water Limiting Conditions

“…Of these, total root length, the diameter of primary roots, numbers and diameter of 2nd order lateral roots, root hair numbers and length varied significantly with different treatments. While the number and diameter of 1st order lateral roots and root hair diameter were not influenced by N. haematococca inoculation (Table 2), an increase in root length is also reported in Epimedium wushanense T. S. Ying inoculated with DSE fungi [20]. These observations are in direct contrast to a study where inoculation of the DSE fungus DSE48 reduced the root length and thickness of the tomato plant [21].…”

Plant performance of enhancing licorice with dual inoculating dark septate endophytes and Trichoderma viride mediated via effects on root development

“…Relative to the control plants, P. putaminum increased the root biomass and root:shoot ratio, S. lignicola increased the shoot biomass and decreased the root:shoot ratio, and P. herbarum increased the root biomass. We propose that the growth-promoting efficacy of the DSE in their host plants varies with DSE species [33,34]. Previous studies reported that P. herbarum promotes plant growth by producing gibberellins [32].…”