Endophyte Chaetomium globosum improves the growth of maize plants and induces their resistance to late wilt disease

Abstract

Late wilt is a soil-borne disease caused by Cephalosporium maydis that severely limits maize production. In this study, endophytic Chaetomium isolates were screened for their abilities to control C. maydis on agar plates. In a dual culture test, Chaetomium spp. isolate Ch-1 inhibited 91.0% mycelial growth of C. maydis. The pathogen’s mycelial growth and conidial germination were also inhibited by its crude extracts. This isolate was identified as C. globosum (Chg-1) based on sequencing of the internal transcribed spacer regions of the rRNA gene. There are three Chg-1 application methods viz. grain treatment GT, soil application SA either individually or in combination GT + SA and two maize cultivars viz. landraces and fine seed 1005 were applied in pots and field plot experiments in controlling late wilt disease. In pots, Chg-1 treatments significantly reduced late wilt disease incidence and increased plant growth of the two maize cultivars, with a high efficacy for GT + SA compared to the positive control. Despite minor differences, treatments GT and SA provided adequate protection against late wilt. After 90 days of cultivation, the endophyte Chg-1 was re-isolated from the internodes of treated maize plants without causing any symptoms. This endophytic fungus reduced late wilt incidence in pots not only directly by antagonizing the pathogen, but also indirectly by inducing resistance mechanisms in maize plants. The induction of antioxidant enzymes (including peroxidase and polyphenoloxidase), chitinase, chlorophyll content, total phenols, and flavonoids was responsible for the indirect effects of Chg-1 against the pathogen. In the field, the endophyte not only reduced late wilt symptoms but also increased ear yield on both maize cultivars when compared to the untreated control. A combination of soil application and grain treatment with Chg-1 (GT + SA) outperformed any of these treatments individually in terms of reducing late wilt incidence and increasing grain yield in maize.