Influence of Tall Fescue Epichloë Endophytes on Rhizosphere Soil Microbiome

Microorganisms

Kishan Mahmud¹  Ali Missaoui¹  Nicholas S. Hill²  Anaas Mergoum³  Kendall Lee⁴ 

[1] Center for Applied Genetic Technologies, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA;Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA;Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, ND 58102, USA;Institute of Plant Breeding, Genetics and Genomics, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA;

关键词: tall fescue;    endophyte;    soil;    rhizosphere microbiome;    plant-soil interaction;   

DOI  :  10.3390/microorganisms9091843

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

Tall fescue (Lolium arundinaceum (Schreb.) S.J. Darbyshire) often forms a symbiotic relationship with fungal endophytes (Epichloë coenophiala), which provides increased plant performance and greater tolerance to environmental stress compared to endophyte-free tall fescue. Whether this enhanced performance of tall fescue exclusively results from the grass–fungus symbiosis, or this symbiosis additionally results in the recruitment of soil microbes in the rhizosphere that in turn promote plant growth, remain a question. We investigated the soil bacterial and fungal community composition in iron-rich soil in the southeastern USA, and possible community shifts in soil microbial populations based on endophyte infection in tall fescue by analyzing the 16s rRNA gene and ITS specific region. Our data revealed that plant-available phosphorus (P) was significantly (p < 0.05) influenced by endophyte infection in tall fescue. While the prominent soil bacterial phyla were similar, a clear fungal community shift was observed between endophyte-infected (E+) and endophyte-free (E−) tall fescue soil at the phylum level. Moreover, compared to E− soil, E+ soil showed a greater fungal diversity at the genus level. Our results, thus, indicate a possible three-way interaction between tall fescue, fungal endophyte, and soil fungal communities resulting in improved tall fescue performance.

【 授权许可】

Unknown