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Effects of AM fungi and grass endophytes on perennial ryegrass Bipolaris sorokiniana leaf spot disease under limited soil nutrients

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Abstract

Both arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) Claroideoglomus etunicatum and grass endophytes (Epichloë) could improve disease tolerance. Research is limited on the dual infection by AMF and Epichloë on plant diseases. Bipolaris sorokiniana is a fungal species that causes leaf spot in cereals, and also in perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne), impacting its growth and production. This experiment tested the dual infection of AMF and Epichloë on perennial ryegrass growth and the physiological and biochemical indexes under limited soil conditions occurs in nature ecosystem. The results showed that infection with B. sorokiniana significantly decreased plant growth and shoot N concentration (P < 0.05), and this negative effect was exaggerated by AMF × Epichloë. The pathogen alone decreased AMF colonization (P < 0.05); however, the interactions of the pathogen and grass endophyte showed the highest value of perennial ryegrass AM colonization. Infection with AMF or Epichloë alone, or the combination of the two, suppressed the occurrence of leaf spot. Epichloë×AMF × B. sorokiniana had the highest amount of β-1,3-glucanase activity and jasmonic acid activity, whereas AMF and Epichloë alone or combined significantly increased the lignin content in diseased plants (P < 0.05). Limited soil nutrients did not affect the inhibition function of AMF and Epichloë for PRG leaf spot disease.

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Acknowledgements

This research was financially supported by The National Natural Science Foundation (31100368), The China Agriculture Research System-Green manure (CARS-22), and The China Agriculture Research System-Forage Grass Research System (CARS-34).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Grassland Agro-Ecosystems, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730020, China

    Yane Guo, Ping Gao, Fang Li & Tingyu Duan

  2. Key Laboratory of Grassland Livestock Industry Innovation, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Beijing, China

    Yane Guo, Ping Gao, Fang Li & Tingyu Duan

  3. College of Pastoral Agriculture Science and Technology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730020, China

    Fang Li & Tingyu Duan

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  1. Yane Guo
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Correspondence to Tingyu Duan.

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Supplementary Fig S1

Shoot dry weight (a) and root dry weight (b) of perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne) with grass endophyte (E+) and without grass endophyte (E-), infected by Bipolaris sorokiniana, colonized by AMF Glomus etunicatum, NM = not inoculated with AMF. Bars topped by the same lower case letter do not differ significantly between treatments at P ≤ 0.05 by Tukey’s HSD. See Table 1 for ANOVA results. (DOCX 55 kb)

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Guo, Y., Gao, P., Li, F. et al. Effects of AM fungi and grass endophytes on perennial ryegrass Bipolaris sorokiniana leaf spot disease under limited soil nutrients. Eur J Plant Pathol 154, 659–671 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10658-019-01689-z

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