Abstract

Abstract A field experiment was performed to study the effect of Epichloe endophytes of the wild forage grass Bromus auleticus on mycorrhizal colonization, seedling emergence and growth parameters in three heterospecific grasses of agronomic interest. Plots with B. auleticus associated with Epichloe (E+) and non-associated (E-) plants were established and 3 y later, seeds of Lolium multiflorum (E+ or E-), Schedonorus arundinaceus (E+ or E-) and Bromus catharticus (which does not establish associations with Epichloe) were sown as B. auleticus neighbors. While B. auleticus E+ plants induced a significant increase in mycorrhizal colonization of the neighbor grasses, even higher in the E- neighbor plants (L. multiflorum and S. arundinaceus), in comparison to B. auleticus E- neighbors, seedling emergence, root length, leaf number or shoot dry weight were not affected. This is the first approach to studying these triple interactions (endophyte-grass-mycorrhiza) involving wild and forage grasses in the field. Our results show that the effect of Epichloe extends further than its own host and suggest an interaction among endophytes of heterospecific neighbors at the rhizosphere level.

Full Text
Published version (Free)

Talk to us

Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have

Schedule a call