Abstract
Asexual Epichloë are obligate fungal mutualists that form symbiosis with many temperate grass species, providing several advantages to the host. These advantages include protection against vertebrate and invertebrate herbivores (i.e., grazing livestock and invertebrate pests, respectively), improved resistance to phytopathogens, increased adaptation to drought stress, nutrient deficiency, and heavy metal-containing soils. Selected Epichloë strains are utilised in agriculture mainly for their pest resistance traits, which are moderated via the production of Epichloë-derived secondary metabolites. For pastoral agriculture, the use of these endophyte infected grasses requires the balancing of protection against insect pests with reduced impacts on animal health and welfare.
Highlights
AgResearch Ltd., Grasslands Research Centre, Palmerston North PB 11008, New Zealand; Definition: Asexual Epichloë are obligate fungal mutualists that form symbiosis with many temperate grass species, providing several advantages to the host
The use of these endophyte infected grasses requires the balancing of protection against insect pests with reduced impacts on animal health and welfare
In a pastoral agriculture context, Epichloë endophytes are essential for temperate grass persistence in New Zealand, Australia, the USA, South America, and, to a lesser extent, Europe [135]
Summary
Primarily comprising archaea, bacteria, fungi, or viruses, are associated with most plant species [1,2]. Asexual Epichloë endophytes (previously belonging to the taxonomic genus Neotyphodium [8]) were identified in the 1980/90s as the cause of two economically important diseases that affected livestock that grazed fescue in the USA and perennial ryegrass in New Zealand, namely fescue toxicosis [9] and ryegrass staggers [10], respectively (Figure 1). These obligate symbionts are mutualistic, relying on the host plant for their growth, survival, and transmission through hyphal colonisation of the host’s seed [11]. Thesecan endophytes can be be transferred through artificial infection [21]. infection between plantsthrough through artificial infection [21]
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