Abstract
Dark septate endophytic (DSE) fungi is a diverse group of Ascomycetes fungi that colonize the plants roots, and may facilitate plant growth and fitness, however, their ecological roles need further clarification. This study aimed to evaluate the growth promoting effects of DSE fungi in a medicinal plant, liquorice (Glycyrrhiza uralensis), under additional organic residues. First, we isolated, identified and characterized, two DSE fungal species (Acrocalymma vagum and Paraboeremia putaminum) harboring inside the roots of liquorice growing in arid areas of China. Second, we examined the performance and rhizosphere soil parameters of liquorice plants inoculated with these fungi under additional sterilized organic residues and unsterilized organic residue (containing Trichoderma viride population) in a growth chamber. The results showed that two DSE strains could effectively colonize plant roots and formed a strain-dependent symbiosis with liquorice. DSE inoculation alone increased the plant biomass, and glycyrrhizic acid and glycyrrhizin content. It also improved the root system and N and P absorption by plants, consequently depleting these macronutrients in the soil. Residues alone increased soil organic matter, available phosphorus (P), and available nitrogen (N) content, and plant biomass, N, P, glycyrrhizic acid, and glycyrrhizin content. Mantel test and structural equation model (SEM) analysis demonstrated that DSE associated with residues significantly positively influenced soil organic matter, available P and available N, and plant biomass, glycyrrhizin, N, P, and root surface area. Variation in plant growth and glycyrrhizic acid and glycyrrhizin accumulation can be attributed to the effects of DSE inoculation. DSE associated with residues exhibited a general synergistic effect on the growth and accumulation of glycyrrhizic acid and glycyrrhizin of liquorice. We demonstrate for the first time, two DSE fungi in the liquorice roots that have potential use as promoter for the cultivation of medicinal plant.
Highlights
Liquorice (Glycyrrhiza uralensis Fisch.), belonging to Fabaceae, is an herbaceous perennial medicinal plant widely grown in the world (Liu et al, 2007)
We aimed to evaluate whether dark septate endophytic (DSE) fungi from arid habitats could successfully colonize the roots of liquorice seedlings grown in sandy soil under greenhouse conditions and enhance plant growth under sterilized organic residues and unsterilized organic residue treatment
We addressed the following questions: (1) What is the characterization of DSE fungi in the roots of liquorice in the arid areas of north China? (2) Do these DSE fungi act as host colonizer and affect the growth and nutrient uptake of liquorice under artificial culture conditions? (3) Whether residue availability affects the symbiosis-dependent benefits?
Summary
Liquorice (Glycyrrhiza uralensis Fisch.), belonging to Fabaceae, is an herbaceous perennial medicinal plant widely grown in the world (Liu et al, 2007). It is officially included in Chinese Pharmacopeia, and it possesses several pharmacological effects and biological functions owing to the presence of components such as glycyrrhizin and glycyrrhizic acid 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. (Zubek and Błaszkowski, 2009; Zhang et al, 2010; Guimarães et al, 2014) include the following: improve the growth, photosynthetic activity, and P content of plants; act antagonistically toward soil-borne fungal pathogens; and alter the concentration of secondary metabolites in plants (Weisany et al, 2016; Lima et al, 2017; Vergara et al, 2017)
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