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Plant growth-promoting potential of endophytic fungi isolated from Solanum nigrum leaves

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Abstract

Fungal endophytes have been characterized as producers of phytohormones and potent promoters of plant growth. In this study, two fungal endophytes, Fusarium tricinctum RSF-4L and Alternaria alternata RSF-6L, were isolated from the leaves of Solanum nigrum. Culture filtrates (CFs) from each isolate were initially screened for indole compounds, and assayed for their ability to promote the growth of Dongjin rice plants. Nearly all plant growth attributes examined (i.e., chlorophyll content, root-shoot length, and biomass production) were significantly enhanced upon treatment with fungal CFs. Subsequently, gas chromatography/mass spectrometry analyses were utilized to confirm the presence of phytohormones in the CF of each fungal endophytic isolate. These analyses revealed that RSF-4L and RSF-6L produced 54 and 30 µg/mL indole acetic acid, respectively, within their respective cultures. These findings suggest that the endophytes isolated in this study synthesize bioactive compounds that could play important roles in promoting plant growth.

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Acknowledgments

This research was sponsored by the Korean Ministry of Environment as part of the Eco-Innovation project.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Applied Bioscience, Kyungpook National University, Daegu, 702-701, Republic of Korea

    Abdur Rahim Khan, Ihsan Ullah, Muhammad Waqas, Raheem Shahzad, Sung-Jun Hong, Gun-Seok Park, Byung Kwon Jung, In-Jung Lee & Jae-Ho Shin

  2. Institute of Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering, The University of Agriculture, Peshawar, Pakistan

    Ihsan Ullah

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  1. Abdur Rahim Khan
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  2. Ihsan Ullah
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  3. Muhammad Waqas
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  4. Raheem Shahzad
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  5. Sung-Jun Hong
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  6. Gun-Seok Park
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  7. Byung Kwon Jung
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  8. In-Jung Lee
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  9. Jae-Ho Shin
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Correspondence to Jae-Ho Shin.

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Khan, A.R., Ullah, I., Waqas, M. et al. Plant growth-promoting potential of endophytic fungi isolated from Solanum nigrum leaves. World J Microbiol Biotechnol 31, 1461–1466 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11274-015-1888-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11274-015-1888-0

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