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Effect of Epichloë fungal endophyte symbiosis on tall fescue to cope with flooding-derived oxygen-limited conditions depends on the host genotype

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Abstract

Background and aims

There is little information about the role of fungal endophytes on plant performance under oxygen-limited conditions. This study aimed to investigate the effect of Epichloë endophyte symbiosis on tall fescue responses to oxygen stress in a greenhouse experiment.

Methods

The experiment was conducted with seven air-filled porosity levels in a sandy loam soil using genotypes (75C and 75B) of tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea) infected with and without endophytic fungus Epichlöe coenophiala (E+ and E–, respectively). Growth and physiological variables were determined to characterize plant response to oxygen-limited conditions, after nine-month application of the treatments.

Results

The results showed that E+ 75B plants benefited from endophytic symbiosis in all air-filled porosity levels, showing a higher plant biomass, better water status and lower catalase and ascorbate peroxidase activity than E– 75B plants. In contrast, a reverse trend was observed for the genotype 75C. The E– plants also coped with poor aeration by forming adventitious roots at the soil surface, aerenchyma formation within the root tissue, and increased alcohol dehydrogenase activity.

Conclusions

The presence of endophyte improved the genotype 75B performance under anaerobic conditions, while endophyte had an adverse effect on the performance of genotype 75C. This is probably due to incompatibility between Epichlöe endophyte and genotype 75C. Epichloë endophyte is likely to decrease the flooding-induced oxidative stress and prevented the over-accumulation of reactive oxygen species in the genotype 75B. Epichloë endophyte probably maintained oxidative conditions around the roots, and consequently, E+ plants required lower level of flooding-tolerance mechanisms.

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Abbreviations

ADH:

Alcohol dehydrogenase (U g–1 FW)

AFP:

Air-filled porosity (m3 m–3)

APX:

Ascorbate peroxidase (U g–1 FW)

CAT:

Catalase (U g–1 FW)

Carot:

Carotenoids (mg g–1 FW)

Chl a :

Chlorophyll a (mg g–1 FW)

Chl b :

Chlorophyll b (mg g–1 FW)

Chl T :

Total chlorophyll (mg g–1 FW)

Chl fl :

Chlorophyll fluorescence (–)

D p :

Soil-gas diffusion coefficient (cm2 s–1)

Eh:

Redox potential (mV)

E+ :

Endophyte-infected plants (–)

E–:

Endophyte-free plants (–)

h :

Absolute of matric potential (hPa)

k a :

Soil air permeability (μm2)

LWP:

Leaf water potential (MPa)

RV:

Root volume (cm3 per pot)

RWC:

Relative water content (%)

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Acknowledgements

We would like to thank the Isfahan University of Technology for the financial support. Special appreciation is extended to Dr. Mohammad Hossein Ehtemam from Department of Agronomy and Plant Breeding, and Dr. Mahdiyeh Gholami from Department of Horticulture at Isfahan University of Technology for their sincere helps with studying the aerenchyma formation and the measurement of alcohol dehydrogenase enzyme (ADH), respectively.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Soil Science, College of Agriculture, Isfahan University of Technology, Isfahan, 84156-83111, Iran

    Tayebeh Saedi & Mohammad Reza Mosaddeghi

  2. Department of Agronomy and Plant Breeding, College of Agriculture, Isfahan University of Technology, Isfahan, 84156-83111, Iran

    Mohammad Reza Sabzalian

  3. Chair of Soil Physics, University of Bayreuth, Bayreuth, Germany

    Mohsen Zarebanadkouki

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  1. Tayebeh Saedi
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  2. Mohammad Reza Mosaddeghi
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  3. Mohammad Reza Sabzalian
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Correspondence to Mohammad Reza Mosaddeghi.

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Saedi, T., Mosaddeghi, M.R., Sabzalian, M.R. et al. Effect of Epichloë fungal endophyte symbiosis on tall fescue to cope with flooding-derived oxygen-limited conditions depends on the host genotype. Plant Soil 468, 353–373 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-021-05105-6

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