Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Piriformospora indica (Serendipita indica): The Novel Symbiont

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Mycorrhiza - Function, Diversity, State of the Art

Abstract

Piriformospora indica (Serendipita indica) (Hymenomycetes, Basidiomycota) is a cultivable endophyte that colonizes roots and has been extensively studied. P. indica has multifunctional activities like plant growth promoter, bio-fertilizer, immune modulator, bioherbicide, phytoremediator, etc. Growth promotional characteristics of P. indica have been studied in enormous number of plants (about 150 plants), and majority of them have shown highly significant outcomes. Certain secondary metabolites from the fungus are reasons behind such promising outputs. Promising outputs of laboratory experiments and small field trials indicated the need for its mass cultivation and usage. For field trials, a formulation “Rootonic” is prepared by mixing P. indica biomass in magnesium sulfite (raw talcum powder). The quantity of formulation (Rootonic) to be used per hectare of land for maximum productivity has also been standardized for about 150 plants. P. indica has proved to be highly beneficial endophyte with high efficacy in the field. In this chapter, a general view of the journey of P. indica from laboratory to field and finally toward industrialization is described.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 189.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 249.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 249.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Arimura G, Garms S, Maffei M et al (2008) Herbivore-induced terpenoid emission in Medicago truncatula: concerted action of jasmonate, ethylene and calcium signaling. Planta 227:453. doi:10.1007/s00425-007-0631-y

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bagde US, Prasad R, Varma A (2010a) Interaction of Piriformospora indica with medicinal plants and of economic importance. Afr J Biotechnol 9:9214–9226

    Google Scholar 

  • Bagde US, Prasad R, Varma A (2010b) Characterizations of culture filtrate of Piriformospora indica by HPTLC analysis. Asian J Microbiol Biotechnol Environ Sci 12:805–809

    Google Scholar 

  • Bagde US, Prasad R, Varma A (2011) Influence of culture filtrate of Piriformospora indica on growth and yield of seed oil in Helianthus annus. Symbiosis 53:83–88

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bagde US, Prasad R, Varma A (2014) Impact of culture filtrate of Piriformospora indica on biomass and biosynthesis of active ingredient aristolochic acid in Aristolochia elegans Mart. Int J Biol 1:29–37

    Google Scholar 

  • Baltruschat H, Fodor J, Harrach BD, Niemczyk E, Barna B, Gullner G, Janeczko A, Kogel KH, Schaefer P, Schwarczinger I, Zuccaro A, Skoczowski A (2008) Salt tolerance of barley induced by the root endophyte Piriformospora indica is associated with a strong increase in antioxidants. New Phytol 180:501–510

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Basiewicz M, Weiss M, Kogel KH, Langen G, Zorn H, Zuccaro A (2012) Molecular and phenotypic characterization of Sebacina vermifera strains associated with orchids, and the description of Piriformospora williamsii sp. nov. Fungal Biol 116:204–213

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bonfante P, Genre A (2010) Mechanisms underlying beneficial plant–fungus interactions in mycorrhizal symbiosis. Nat Commun 1:48. doi:10.1038/ncomms1046

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Chen HJ, Wu SD, Huang GJ, Shen CY, Afiyanti M, Li WJ, Lin YH (2012) Expression of a cloned sweet potato catalase SPCAT1 alleviates ethephon-mediated leaf senescence and H2O2 elevation. J Plant Physiol 169:86–97

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Das A, Prasad R, Srivastava RB, Deshmukh S, Rai MK, Varma A (2013) Co-cultivation of plants with medicinal plants: case studies. In: Varma A, Kost G, Oelmuller R (eds) Piriformospora indica: sebacinales and their biotechnological applications. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg, pp 149–171

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Deshmukh S, Hückelhoven R, Schäfer P, Imani J, Sharma M et al (2006) The root endophytic fungus Piriformospora indica requires host cell death for proliferation during mutualistic symbiosis with barley. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 103:18450–18457

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Giamoustaris A, Mithen R (1995) The effect of modifying the glucosinolate content of leaves of oilseed rape (Brassica napus ssp. oleifera) on its interaction with specialist and generalist pests. Ann Appl Biol 126:347–363

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Giamoustaris A, Mithen R (1996) The effect of flower colour and glucosinolates on the interaction between oilseed rape and pollen beetles. Entomol Exp Appl 80:206–208

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Gill SS, Gill R, Trivedi DK, Anjum NA, Sharma KK, Ansari MW, Johri AK, Prasad R, Pereira E, Varma A, Tuteja N (2016) Piriformospora indica: potential and significance in plant stress tolerance. Front Microbiol. doi:10.3389/fmicb.2016.00332

    PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Harman GE (2011) Multifunctional fungal plant symbiont: new tools to enhance plant growth and productivity. New Phytol 189:647–649

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hibbett DS, Binder M, Bischoff JF, Blackwell M, Cannon PF, Eriksson OE, Huhndorf S, James T, Kirk PM, Lücking R, Lumbsch HT, Lutzoni F, Matheny PB, McLaughlin DJ, Powell MJ, Redhead S, Schoch CL, Spatafora JW, Stalpers JA, Vilgalys R, Aime MC, Aptroot A, Bauer R, Begerow D, Benny GL, Castlebury LA, Crous PW, Dai Y-C, Gams W, Geiser DM, Griffith GW, Gueidan C, Hawksworth DL, Hestmark G, Hosaka K, Humber RA, Hyde KD, Ironside JE, Kõljalg U, Kurtzman CP, Larsson K-H, Lichtwardt R, Longcore J, Miadlikowska J, Miller A, Moncalvo J-M, Mozley-Standridge S, Oberwinkler F, Parmasto E, Reeb V, Rogers JD, Roux C, Ryvarden L, Sampaio JP, Schüßler A, Sugiyama J, Thorn RG, Tibell L, Untereiner WA, Walker C, Wang Z, Weir A, Weiss M, White MM, Winka K, Yao Y-J, Zhang N (2007) A higher-level phylogenetic classification of the fungi. Mycol Res 111:509–547

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kumari R, Pham GH, Prasad R, Sachdev M, Srivastava A, Yadav V, Verma PK, Sharma S, Malla R, Singh A, Maurya AK, Prakash S, Pareek A, Rexer KH, Kost G, Garg AP, Oelmueller R, Sharma MC, Varma A (2005) Piriformospora indica: fungus of the millennium. In: Podila GK, Varma A (eds) Basic research and applications of mycorrhizae, vol 1. IK International, India, pp 259–295

    Google Scholar 

  • Martin N, Müller C (2006) Induction of plant responses by a sequestering insect: relationship of glucosinolate concentration and myrosinase activity. Basic Appl Ecol 8:13–25

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McNear DH Jr (2013) The rhizosphere—roots, soil and everything in Between. Nat Educ Knowl 4:1

    Google Scholar 

  • Morrissey J, Dow J, Mark G, O’Gara F (2004) Are microbes at the root of a solution to world food production? EMBO Rep 5:922–926

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Peskan-Berghofer T, Shahollari B, Giong PH, Hehl S, Markert C, Blanke V, Kost G, Varma A, Oelmuller R (2004) Association of Piriformospora indica with Arabidopsis thaliana roots represents a novel system to study beneficial plant–microbe interactions and involves early plant protein modifications in the endoplasmic reticulum and at the plasma membrane. Physiol Plant 122:465–447

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pham GH, Kumari R, Singh A, Sachdev M, Prasad R, Kaldorf M et al (2004) Axenic cultures of Piriformosporaindica. In: Varma A, Abbott K, Werner D, Hampp R (eds) Plant surface microbiology. Springer, Berlin, pp 593–616

    Google Scholar 

  • Qiang X, Weiss M, Kogel KH, Schaefer P (2011). Piriformospora indica—a mutualistic basidiomycete with an exceptionally large plant host range. Mol Plant Pathol 13:508–518

    Google Scholar 

  • Qiang X, Weiss M, Kogel KH, Schäfer P (2012) Piriformospora indica—a mutualistic basidiomycete with an exceptionally large plant host range. Mol Plant Pathol. doi:10.1111/J.1364-3703.2011.00764

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Riess K, Oberwinkler F, Bauer R, Garnica S (2013) High genetic diversity at the regional scale and possible speciation in Sebacina epigaea and S. incrustans. BMC Evol Biol 13:102

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Siddhanta S, Paidi SK, Bushley K, Prasad R, Barman I (2017) Exploring morphological and biochemical linkages in fungal growth with label-free light sheet microscopy and Raman spectroscopy. ChemPhysChem 18(1):72–78

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Vadassery J, Tripathi S, Prasad R, Varma A, Oelmüller R (2009) Monodehydroascorbate reductase 2 and dehydroascorbate reductase 5 are crucial for a mutualistic interaction between Piriformospora indica and Arabidopsis. J Plant Physiol 165:60–70

    Google Scholar 

  • Varma A, Verma S, Sudha, Sahay N, Britta B, Franken P (1999) Piriformospora indica—a cultivable plant growth promoting root endophyte with similarities to arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi. Appl Environ Microbiol 65:2741–2744

    CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Varma A, Singh A, Sudha, Sahay NS, Sharma J, Roy A, Kumari M, Rana D, Thakran S, Deka D, Bharati K, Franken P, Hurek T, Blechert O, Rexer KH, Kost HA, Hock B, Maier W, Walter M, Strack D, Kranner I (2001) Piriformospora indica: a cultivable mycorrhiza-like endosymbiotic fungus. In: Hock B (ed) Mycota IX series. Springer, Berlin, pp 123–150

    Google Scholar 

  • Varma A, Tripathi S, Prasad R, Das A, Sharma M, Bakshi M, Arora M, Rastogi K, Agrawal A, Kharkwal AC, Tsimilli-Michael M, Strasser RJ, Bagde US, Bisaria VS, Upadhyaya CP, Malla R, Kost G, Joy, Sherameti I, Chen Y, Ma J, Lou B, Oelmuller R (2012) The symbiotic fungus Piriformospora indica: review. In: Hock B (ed) The mycota XXL. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Verma S, Varma A, Rexer KH, Hassel A, Kost G, Sarbhoy A, Bisen P, Butehorn B, Franken P (1998) Piriformospora indica, gen. et sp. nov., a new root-colonizing fungus. Mycologia 90:896–902

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Waller F, Achatz B, Baltruschat H, Fodor J, Becker K, Fischer M, Heier T, Hückelhoven R, Neumann C, von Wettstein D, Franken P, Kogel K-H (2005) The endophytic fungus Piriformospora indica reprograms barley to salt-stress tolerance, disease resistance, and higher yield. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 102:13386–13391

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Waller F, Mukherjee K, Deshmukh SD, Achatz B, Sharma M, Schäfer P, Kogel KH (2008) Systemic and local modulation of plant responses by Piriformospora indica and related Sebacinales species. J Plant Physiol 165:60–70

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Warcup JH, Talbot (1988) Mycorrhizal associations of isolates of Sebacina vermifera. New Phytol 110:227–231

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Weiß M, Selosse M-A, Rexer K-H, Urban A, Oberwinkler F (2004) Sebacinales: a hitherto overlooked cosm of heterobasidiomycetes with a broad mycorrhizal potential. Mycol Res 108:1003–1010

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Weiß M, Waller F, Zuccaro A, Selosse M-A (2016) Sebacinales—one thousand and one interactions with land plants. New Phytol 211:20–40. doi:10.1111/nph.13977

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Wittstock U, Agerbirk N, Stauber EJ, Olsen CE, Hippler M, Mitchell-Olds T, Gershenzon J, Vogel H (2004) Successful herbivore attack due to metabolic diversion of a plant chemical defense. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 101:4859–4864

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Yadav V, Kumar M, Deep DK, Kumar H, Sharma R, Tripathi T, Tuteja N, Saxena AK, Johri AK (2010) A phosphate transporter from the root endophytic fungus Piriformospora indica plays a role in phosphate transport to the host plant. J Biol Chem 285:26532–26544

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Zuccaro A, Basiewicz M, Zurawska M, Biedenkopf D, Kogel K-H (2009) Karyotype analysis, genome organization, and stable genetic transformation of the root colonizing fungus Piriformospora indica. Fungal Genet Biol 46:542–550

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zuccaro A, Lahrmann U, Güldener U, Langen G, Pfiffi S, Biedenkopf D et al (2011) Endophytic life strategies decoded by genome and transcriptome analyses of the mutualistic root symbiont Piriformospora indica. PLoS Pathogen 7:e1002290. doi:10.1371/journal.ppat.1002290

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgment

Ajit Varma is thankful to Department of Science and Technology and Department of Biotechnology for partial financial funding and to DST-FIST for providing confocal microscope facility.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Amity Institute of Microbial Technology (AIMT), Amity University Uttar Pradesh, Block ‘E-3’, 4th Floor, Sector-125, Noida, Gautam Buddha Nagar, Uttar Pradesh, 201313, India

    Uma Singhal, Ram Prasad & Ajit Varma

Authors
  1. Uma Singhal
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Ram Prasad
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Ajit Varma
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ajit Varma .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Amity Institute of Microbial Technology, Amity University Uttar Pradesh, Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India

    Ajit Varma

  2. Amity Institute of Microbial Technology, Amity University Uttar Pradesh, Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India

    Ram Prasad

  3. Amity Institute of Microbial Technology, Amity University Uttar Pradesh Amity Institute of Microbial Technology, Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India

    Narendra Tuteja

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2017 Springer International Publishing AG

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Singhal, U., Prasad, R., Varma, A. (2017). Piriformospora indica (Serendipita indica): The Novel Symbiont. In: Varma, A., Prasad, R., Tuteja, N. (eds) Mycorrhiza - Function, Diversity, State of the Art. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-53064-2_17

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation