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Endophytic Fusarium equiseti stimulates plant growth and reduces root rot disease of pea (Pisum sativum L.) caused by Fusarium avenaceum and Peyronellaea pinodella

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Abstract

Endophytic root-colonizing fungi are an intriguing group of microorganisms that have the ability to form mutualistic associations with plants. Many endophytes confer benefits to their hosts such as plant growth promotion and disease suppression. Their potential to promote agro-ecosystem efficiency through beneficial impacts on their hosts is of great interest for agriculture and may contribute to reduced needs for agrochemicals. We investigated the ability of three Fusarium equiseti (Fe) isolates to endophytically colonize pea roots and the influence of endophytic development on plant growth, pathogen proliferation and root rot disease caused by F. avenaceum (Fa) and Peyronellaea pinodella (Pp). Fe was inoculated following sowing, while Fa and Pp were either inoculated simultaneously with Fe or 5 days after Fe. When only Fe was inoculated, two of the isolates significantly promoted plant growth at the end of the 4 week experiment. Simultaneous inoculation of Fe with Fa or pre-inoculation of pea plants for 5 days with any one of the three F. equiseti isolates resulted in disease suppression and significant reduction of Fa population, particularly in the root cortex. However, Fe isolates significantly reduced disease and root cortex colonization rates of Pp only in the plants inoculated with Fe 5 days before the pathogen. This study shows that F. equiseti can promote pea growth and has the ability to alter the interaction pea - Fa/Pp, consequently leading to reduced root rot disease severity.

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank Dr. Bernard Tivoli, the National Institute of Agricultural Research (INRA) France, for kindly supplying Peyronellaea pinodella strain. Part of this work was financed by the European Union FP7 Project n.289277: OSCAR (Optimizing Subsidiary Crop Applications in Rotations), and A. Š. was supported by a doctoral scholarship funded by the University of Kassel.

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  1. Department of Ecological Plant Protection, University of Kassel, Nordbahnhofstr. 1a, 37213, Witzenhausen, Germany

    Adnan Šišić, Jelena Baćanović & Maria Renate Finckh

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  1. Adnan Šišić
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Correspondence to Adnan Šišić.

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Šišić, A., Baćanović, J. & Finckh, M.R. Endophytic Fusarium equiseti stimulates plant growth and reduces root rot disease of pea (Pisum sativum L.) caused by Fusarium avenaceum and Peyronellaea pinodella . Eur J Plant Pathol 148, 271–282 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10658-016-1086-4

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