Abstract
Trichoderma species are widespread phytostimulant fungi that act through biocontrol of root pathogens, modulation of root architecture, and improving plant adaptation to biotic and abiotic stress. With the major challenge to better understand the contribution of Trichoderma symbionts to plant adaptation to climate changes and confer stress tolerance, we investigated the potential of Trichoderma virens and Trichoderma atroviride in modulating stomatal aperture and plant transpiration. Arabidopsis wild-type (WT) seedlings and ABA-insensitive mutants, abi1-1 and abi2-1, were co-cultivated with either T. virens or T. atroviride, and stomatal aperture and water loss were determined in leaves. Arabidopsis WT seedlings inoculated with these fungal species showed both decreased stomatal aperture and reduced water loss when compared with uninoculated seedlings. This effect was absent in abi1-1 and abi2-1 mutants. T. virens and T. atroviride induced the abscisic acid (ABA) inducible marker abi4:uidA and produced ABA under standard or saline growth conditions. These results show a novel facet of Trichoderma-produced metabolites in stomatic aperture and water-use efficiency of plants.
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Acknowledgments
We are thankful to Dr. Patricia León for kindly providing us with Arabidopsis transgenic seeds. This work was supported by Grants from the Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología (CONACYT, México, Grant No. 43978) and the Consejo de la Investigación Científica (UMSNH, México, Grant No. CIC 2.26). H. A. Contreras-Cornejo is indebted to CONACYT for a doctoral fellowship.
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Contreras-Cornejo, H.A., Macías-Rodríguez, L., Vergara, A.G. et al. Trichoderma Modulates Stomatal Aperture and Leaf Transpiration Through an Abscisic Acid-Dependent Mechanism in Arabidopsis . J Plant Growth Regul 34, 425–432 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00344-014-9471-8
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00344-014-9471-8