Abstract
Subspecies of Festuca rubra often host fungal endophytes of the genus Epichloe. Endophyte-infection can confer significant advantages, such as insect resistance, to the grass hosts, but in some cases can also result in the pathological condition of choke disease. In choke disease, the developing inflorescence becomes trapped in the fungal mycelium, resulting in reduced seed yields. Here we report that the choke stroma tissue contains cell wall and soluble invertase activities which were greater than 10-fold higher than the activities in the subtending stem. Most of the invertase activity probably originated from the fungus. High fungal invertase activity in the stroma would improve the sink strength of the fungus for sucrose import from the plant phloem, thus providing the carbohydrate needed for the enhanced fungal growth which occurs in choke disease.
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