An in vivo assessment of plants’ vitality (activity and adaptability) is here presented, based on the analysis of the biophysical phenomics of photosystem (PS) II, which is a highly sensitive component of the plant to any stress. The analysis uses the JIP-test, which translates the chlorophyll a fluorescence kinetics OJIP exhibited by all photosynthetic organisms upon illumination to behaviour patterns, thus leading to the description of a biophysical phenotype. We also present a pragmatic application of our method for the in vivo recognition and evaluation of mycorrhization effectiveness on the vitality of host plants in three case studies, in the frame of two running projects in Cyprus; typical mycorrhizae (endo- and ecto-) were used in these projects, as well as Piriformospora indica, an emerging growth booster with mycorrhiza-like characteristics and the added advantage of being cultivable in vitro, on agar plates or in liquid cultures. Our results show that the plants inoculated with any of these symbionts exhibit increased activity, increased efficiency of energy conservation and increased stress stability. These findings demonstrate also that our method provides a powerful tool in revealing and evaluating the multi-level beneficial role of symbiosis, which can not be foreseen or taken for granted as it depends on complex interactions between plant, symbionts and environmental conditions.
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Tsimilli-Michael, M., Strasser, R.J. (2008). In vivo Assessment of Stress Impact on Plant’s Vitality: Applications in Detecting and Evaluating the Beneficial Role of Mycorrhization on Host Plants. In: Varma, A. (eds) Mycorrhiza. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-78826-3_32
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