Soil Influences Colonization of Root-Associated Fungal Endophyte Communities of Maize, Wheat, and Their Progenitors

Deepak Bokati,Ravin Poudel,José Herrera

doi:10.1155/2016/8062073

Abstract

Root-associated fungal endophytes are vital component of root microbiome as some mitigate their host’s abiotic and biotic stress. We characterized root-associated fungal endophytes in cereal grains and their progenitors grown on two different soil-types. We aimed at determining how clay and desert soil affects the colonization of root fungal community. Both culture-dependent and culture-independent methods were employed to identify endophytes that successfully colonized greenhouse-grown host plants. The Internal Transcriber Spacer region of fungal ribosomal DNA was utilized for identification purposes. This study revealed soil as a prominent factor influencing the composition of microfungal communities inhabiting the roots of maize (Zea mays subsp. mays) and its conspecific progenitor, teosinte (Zea mays subsp. parviglumis). Similar results were found in wheat (Triticum aestivum subsp. aestivum) and its progenitor (Triticum monococcum subsp. monococcum). The multidimensional comparisons of Morisita-Horn similarity values of fungal colonists of various host plant taxa indicated that soil plays a primary role in shaping the root fungal community; a secondary effect was plant host identity, even when the plant host is a conspecific. Future studies focused on characterizing root endophytes in other cereal grains, and studying the effect of edaphic factors on fungal colonization, can ultimately contribute to crop productivity.

Highlights

Fungal endophytes associated with plants are reported to be ubiquitous in various environments [1,2,3,4,5] and geographical locations [6, 7]
The diversity of shoot fungal endophytes has been well studied in various plants such as turf grasses [12, 13]; by comparison, root-associated fungal endophytes (RAFE) are less understood, especially in cereal crops [14,15,16,17,18]
This study documented soil as the prominent factor determining the composition and structure of microfungal communities inhabiting the roots of all grasses; that is, plants grown in the same soil-type harbored similar microfungal communities

Summary

Introduction

Fungal endophytes associated with plants are reported to be ubiquitous in various environments [1,2,3,4,5] and geographical locations [6, 7]. Their relationship with plants varies from being symbiotic, mutualistic, or commensalistic [8], to at times even being pathogenic [9]. The diversity of shoot (especially foliar) fungal endophytes has been well studied in various plants such as turf grasses [12, 13]; by comparison, RAFE are less understood, especially in cereal crops [14,15,16,17,18]. Additional information about how soil influences the structure and composition of the RAFE community within wheat and maize would provide the scientific community with much needed information about how RAFE communities are structured and how these economically important and cosmopolitan grasses respond to changes in their soil environment

Objectives

Methods

Conclusion