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Realini FM, Escobedo VM, Ueno AC, Bastías DA, Schardl CL, Biganzoli F, Gundel PE. Anti-herbivory defences delivered by Epichloë fungal endophytes: a quantitative review of alkaloid concentration variation among hosts and plant parts. Ann Bot 2024; 133:509-520. [PMID: 38320313 PMCID: PMC11037487 DOI: 10.1093/aob/mcae014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2024] [Accepted: 02/01/2024] [Indexed: 02/08/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS In the subfamily Poöideae (Poaceae), certain grass species possess anti-herbivore alkaloids synthesized by fungal endophytes that belong to the genus Epichloë (Clavicipitaceae). The protective role of these symbiotic endophytes can vary, depending on alkaloid concentrations within specific plant-endophyte associations and plant parts. METHODS We conducted a literature review to identify articles containing alkaloid concentration data for various plant parts in six important pasture species, Lolium arundinaceum, Lolium perenne, Lolium pratense, Lolium multiflorum|Lolium rigidum and Festuca rubra, associated with their common endophytes. We considered the alkaloids lolines (1-aminopyrrolizidines), peramine (pyrrolopyrazines), ergovaline (ergot alkaloids) and lolitrem B (indole-diterpenes). While all these alkaloids have shown bioactivity against insect herbivores, ergovaline and lolitrem B are harmful for mammals. KEY RESULTS Loline alkaloid levels were higher in the perennial grasses L. pratense and L. arundinaceum compared to the annual species L. multiflorum and L. rigidum, and higher in reproductive tissues than in vegetative structures. This is probably due to the greater biomass accumulation in perennial species that can result in higher endophyte mycelial biomass. Peramine concentrations were higher in L. perenne than in L. arundinaceum and not affected by plant part. This can be attributed to the high within-plant mobility of peramine. Ergovaline and lolitrem B, both hydrophobic compounds, were associated with plant parts where fungal mycelium is usually present, and their concentrations were higher in plant reproductive tissues. Only loline alkaloid data were sufficient for below-ground tissue analyses and concentrations were lower than in above-ground parts. CONCLUSIONS Our study provides a comprehensive synthesis of fungal alkaloid variation across host grasses and plant parts, essential for understanding the endophyte-conferred defence extent. The patterns can be understood by considering endophyte growth within the plant and alkaloid mobility. Our study identifies research gaps, including the limited documentation of alkaloid presence in roots and the need to investigate the influence of different environmental conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Florencia M Realini
- IFEVA, Facultad de Agronomía, Universidad de Buenos Aires, CONICET, Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Departamento de Ecología, Genética y Evolución, Laboratorio de Citogenética y Evolución (LaCyE), Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Instituto de Ecología, Genética y Evolución (IEGEBA), Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Víctor M Escobedo
- Instituto de Investigación Interdisciplinaria (I3), Universidad de Talca, Campus Talca, Chile
- Centro de Ecología Integrativa, Instituto de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad de Talca, Talca, Chile
| | - Andrea C Ueno
- IFEVA, Facultad de Agronomía, Universidad de Buenos Aires, CONICET, Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Instituto de Investigación Interdisciplinaria (I3), Universidad de Talca, Campus Talca, Chile
- Centro de Ecología Integrativa, Instituto de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad de Talca, Talca, Chile
| | - Daniel A Bastías
- AgResearch Limited, Grasslands Research Centre, Palmerston North 4442, New Zealand
| | | | - Fernando Biganzoli
- Departamento de Métodos Cuantitativos y Sistemas de Información, Facultad de Agronomía, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Pedro E Gundel
- IFEVA, Facultad de Agronomía, Universidad de Buenos Aires, CONICET, Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Centro de Ecología Integrativa, Instituto de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad de Talca, Talca, Chile
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Zhang W, Gundel PE, Jáuregui R, Card SD, Mace WJ, Johnson RD, Bastías DA. The growth promotion in endophyte symbiotic plants does not penalise the resistance to herbivores and bacterial microbiota. Plant Cell Environ 2024. [PMID: 38616528 DOI: 10.1111/pce.14912] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2023] [Revised: 03/19/2024] [Accepted: 03/29/2024] [Indexed: 04/16/2024]
Abstract
A trade-off between growth and defence against biotic stresses is common in plants. Fungal endophytes of the genus Epichloë may relieve this trade-off in their host grasses since they can simultaneously induce plant growth and produce antiherbivore alkaloids that circumvent the need for host defence. The Epichloë ability to decouple the growth-defence trade-off was evaluated by subjecting ryegrass with and without Epichloë endophytes to an exogenous treatment with gibberellin (GA) followed by a challenge with Rhopalosiphum padi aphids. In agreement with the endophyte-mediated trade-off decoupling hypothesis, the GA-derived promotion of plant growth increased the susceptibility to aphids in endophyte-free plants but did not affect the insect resistance in endophyte-symbiotic plants. In line with the unaltered insect resistance, the GA treatment did not reduce the concentration of Epichloë-derived alkaloids. The Epichloë mycelial biomass was transiently increased by the GA treatment but at the expense of hyphal integrity. The response of the phyllosphere bacterial microbiota to both GA treatment and Epichloë was also evaluated. Only Epichloë, and not the GA treatment, altered the composition of the phyllosphere microbiota and the abundance of certain bacterial taxa. Our findings clearly demonstrate that Epichloë does indeed relieve the plant growth-defence trade-off.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei Zhang
- AgResearch Limited, Grasslands Research Centre, Palmerston North, New Zealand
| | - Pedro E Gundel
- Centro de Ecología Integrativa, Instituto de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad de Talca, Talca, Chile
| | - Ruy Jáuregui
- Animal Health Laboratory, Biosecurity New Zealand, Ministry for Primary Industries, Upper Hutt, New Zealand
| | - Stuart D Card
- AgResearch Limited, Grasslands Research Centre, Palmerston North, New Zealand
| | - Wade J Mace
- AgResearch Limited, Grasslands Research Centre, Palmerston North, New Zealand
| | - Richard D Johnson
- AgResearch Limited, Grasslands Research Centre, Palmerston North, New Zealand
| | - Daniel A Bastías
- AgResearch Limited, Grasslands Research Centre, Palmerston North, New Zealand
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Richardson KA, de Bonth ACM, Beechey-Gradwell Z, Kadam S, Cooney LJ, Nelson KA, Cookson R, Winichayakul S, Reid M, Anderson P, Crowther T, Zou X, Maher D, Xue H, Scott RW, Allan A, Johnson RD, Card SD, Mace WJ, Roberts NJ, Bryan G. Epichloë fungal endophyte interactions in perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) modified to accumulate foliar lipids for increased energy density. BMC Plant Biol 2023; 23:636. [PMID: 38072924 PMCID: PMC10712098 DOI: 10.1186/s12870-023-04635-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2023] [Accepted: 11/26/2023] [Indexed: 12/18/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Commercial cultivars of perennial ryegrass infected with selected Epichloë fungal endophytes are highly desirable in certain pastures as the resulting mutualistic association has the capacity to confer agronomic benefits (such as invertebrate pest deterrence) largely due to fungal produced secondary metabolites (e.g., alkaloids). In this study, we investigated T2 segregating populations derived from two independent transformation events expressing diacylglycerol acyltransferase (DGAT) and cysteine oleosin (CO) genes designed to increase foliar lipid and biomass accumulation. These populations were either infected with Epichloë festucae var. lolii strain AR1 or Epichloë sp. LpTG-3 strain AR37 to examine relationships between the introduced trait and the endophytic association. Here we report on experiments designed to investigate if expression of the DGAT + CO trait in foliar tissues of perennial ryegrass could negatively impact the grass-endophyte association and vice versa. Both endophyte and plant characters were measured under controlled environment and field conditions. RESULTS Expected relative increases in total fatty acids of 17-58% accrued as a result of DGAT + CO expression with no significant difference between the endophyte-infected and non-infected progeny. Hyphal growth in association with DGAT + CO expression appeared normal when compared to control plants in a growth chamber. There was no significant difference in mycelial biomass for both strains AR1 and AR37, however, Epichloë-derived alkaloid concentrations were significantly lower on some occasions in the DGAT + CO plants compared to the corresponding null-segregant progenies, although these remained within the reported range for bioactivity. CONCLUSIONS These results suggest that the mutualistic association formed between perennial ryegrass and selected Epichloë strains does not influence expression of the host DGAT + CO technology, but that endophyte performance may be reduced under some circumstances. Further investigation will now be required to determine the preferred genetic backgrounds for introgression of the DGAT + CO trait in combination with selected endophyte strains, as grass host genetics is a major determinant to the success of the grass-endophyte association in this species.
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Grants
- contract C10X1603 Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment
- contract C10X1603 Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment
- contract C10X1603 Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment
- contract C10X1603 Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment
- contract C10X1603 Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment
- contract C10X1603 Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment
- contract C10X1603 Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment
- contract C10X1603 Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment
- contract C10X1603 Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment
- contract C10X1603 Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment
- contract C10X1603 Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment
- contract C10X1603 Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment
- contract C10X1603 Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment
- contract C10X1603 Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment
- contract C10X1603 Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment
- contract C10X1603 Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment
- contract C10X1603 Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment
- contract C10X1603 Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment
- AgResearch Strategic Science Investment Fund
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Affiliation(s)
- Kim A Richardson
- Resilient Agriculture, AgResearch Ltd, Palmerston North, 4442, New Zealand.
| | | | | | - Suhas Kadam
- Division of Plant Sciences & Technology, University of Missouri, Columbia, 65201, MO, USA
- Present address: SGS North America, Crop Sciences, Brookings, SD, 57006, USA
| | - Luke J Cooney
- Resilient Agriculture, AgResearch Ltd, Palmerston North, 4442, New Zealand
| | - Kelly A Nelson
- Division of Plant Sciences & Technology, University of Missouri, Novelty, 63460, MO, USA
| | - Ruth Cookson
- Resilient Agriculture, AgResearch Ltd, Palmerston North, 4442, New Zealand
| | | | - Michele Reid
- Resilient Agriculture, AgResearch Ltd, Palmerston North, 4442, New Zealand
| | - Philip Anderson
- Resilient Agriculture, AgResearch Ltd, Palmerston North, 4442, New Zealand
| | - Tracey Crowther
- Resilient Agriculture, AgResearch Ltd, Palmerston North, 4442, New Zealand
| | - Xiuying Zou
- Resilient Agriculture, AgResearch Ltd, Palmerston North, 4442, New Zealand
| | - Dorothy Maher
- Resilient Agriculture, AgResearch Ltd, Palmerston North, 4442, New Zealand
| | - Hong Xue
- Resilient Agriculture, AgResearch Ltd, Palmerston North, 4442, New Zealand
| | - Richard W Scott
- Resilient Agriculture, AgResearch Ltd, Palmerston North, 4442, New Zealand
| | - Anne Allan
- Resilient Agriculture, AgResearch Ltd, Palmerston North, 4442, New Zealand
| | - Richard D Johnson
- Resilient Agriculture, AgResearch Ltd, Palmerston North, 4442, New Zealand
| | - Stuart D Card
- Resilient Agriculture, AgResearch Ltd, Palmerston North, 4442, New Zealand
| | - Wade J Mace
- Resilient Agriculture, AgResearch Ltd, Palmerston North, 4442, New Zealand
| | - Nicholas J Roberts
- Resilient Agriculture, AgResearch Ltd, Palmerston North, 4442, New Zealand
| | - Gregory Bryan
- Resilient Agriculture, AgResearch Ltd, Palmerston North, 4442, New Zealand
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Lee K, Bogdanova A, Missaoui A. Host Genetic Background Effect on Vertical Seed Transmission of Epichloë Endophyte Strains in Tall Fescue. Microb Ecol 2023; 86:2618-2626. [PMID: 37470815 DOI: 10.1007/s00248-023-02270-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2023] [Accepted: 07/12/2023] [Indexed: 07/21/2023]
Abstract
Tall fescue (Lolium arundinaceum (Schreb.) Darbysh.) is a cool-season perennial grass widely grown for forage and turf. Tall fescue lives in association with a fungal endophyte that helps the grass overcome abiotic and biotic stressors. The endophyte is asexual and transmits vertically from the tall fescue plant to the next generation through the seed. Producers of endophyte-infected tall fescue must have endophyte infection in at least 70% of their seed. Therefore, endophyte seed transmission is vital in breeding and seed production. Transfer of endophytes from their native host to different backgrounds of elite tall fescue cultivars can lead to a low seed transmission of the endophyte to the seed. This study screened 23 previously uncharacterized endophyte strains for transmissibility when artificially inoculated into continental and Mediterranean-type host tall fescue. We found no correlation between the rate of successful inoculation and the seed transmission rate of the endophyte in the new host. Nor did the seed transmission rate of the endophyte strains in their native host correlate with the seed transmission rate of the endophyte in the new host. Five strains exhibited seed transmission above 70% in both Mediterranean and Continental host backgrounds and will be characterized further for potential use in cultivar development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kendall Lee
- Institute of Plant Breeding, Genetics and Genomics, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, 30602, USA
| | - Ana Bogdanova
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, 30602, USA
| | - Ali Missaoui
- Institute of Plant Breeding, Genetics and Genomics, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, 30602, USA.
- Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, 30602, USA.
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Liu X, Cui JL, Zhou ZY, Zhang ZB, Cui XG, Han B, Wang JH, Wang ML, Li YM. "Mini-community" simulation revealed the differences of endophytic fungal communities between the above- and below-ground tissues of Ephedra sinica Stapf. Fungal Biol 2023; 127:1276-1283. [PMID: 37821149 DOI: 10.1016/j.funbio.2023.07.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2023] [Revised: 07/21/2023] [Accepted: 07/23/2023] [Indexed: 10/13/2023]
Abstract
The microecology of endophytic fungi in special habitats, such as the interior of different tissues from a medicinal plant, and its effects on the formation of metabolites with different biological activities are of great importance. However, the factors affecting fungal community formation are unclear. This study is the first to utilize "mini-community" remodeling to understand the above phenomena. First, high-throughput sequencing technology was applied to explore the community composition and diversity of endophytic fungi in the above-ground tissues (Ea) and below-ground tissues (Eb) of Ephedra sinica. Second, fungi were obtained through culture-dependent technology and used for "mini-community" remodeling in vitro. Then, the effects of environmental factors, partner fungi, and plant tissue fluid (internal environment) on endophytic fungal community formation were discussed. Results showed that environmental factors played a decisive role in the selection of endophytic fungi, that is, in Ea and Eb, 93.8% and 25.3% of endophytic fungi were halophilic, respectively, and 10.6% and 60.2% fungi were sensitive to high temperature (33 °C), respectively. Meanwhile, pH had little effect on fungal communities. The internal environment of the plant host further promoted the formation of endophytic fungal communities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xi Liu
- Institute of Applied Chemistry, Shanxi University, Taiyuan, Shanxi, 030006, People's Republic of China; Modern Research Center for Traditional Chinese Medicine, The Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology and Molecular Engineering of Ministry of Education, Shanxi University, Taiyuan, Shanxi, 030006, People's Republic of China
| | - Jin-Long Cui
- Institute of Applied Chemistry, Shanxi University, Taiyuan, Shanxi, 030006, People's Republic of China; State Key Laboratory for Quality Ensurance and Sustainable Use of Dao-di Herbs, Beijng, 100700, People's Republic of China.
| | - Zhong-Ya Zhou
- Institute of Applied Chemistry, Shanxi University, Taiyuan, Shanxi, 030006, People's Republic of China; Modern Research Center for Traditional Chinese Medicine, The Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology and Molecular Engineering of Ministry of Education, Shanxi University, Taiyuan, Shanxi, 030006, People's Republic of China
| | - Zong-Bao Zhang
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Shanxi University, Taiyuan, Shanxi, 030006, People's Republic of China
| | - Xuan-Ge Cui
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Shanxi University, Taiyuan, Shanxi, 030006, People's Republic of China
| | - Bo Han
- Institute of Applied Chemistry, Shanxi University, Taiyuan, Shanxi, 030006, People's Republic of China; Modern Research Center for Traditional Chinese Medicine, The Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology and Molecular Engineering of Ministry of Education, Shanxi University, Taiyuan, Shanxi, 030006, People's Republic of China
| | - Jun-Hong Wang
- Institute of Applied Chemistry, Shanxi University, Taiyuan, Shanxi, 030006, People's Republic of China
| | - Meng-Liang Wang
- Institute of Applied Chemistry, Shanxi University, Taiyuan, Shanxi, 030006, People's Republic of China
| | - Yi-Min Li
- College of Pharmacy, Shaanxi University of Chinese Medicine, Xianyang, Shaanxi, 712046, People's Republic of China.
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Bastías DA, Ueno AC, Gundel PE. Global Change Factors Influence Plant-Epichloë Associations. J Fungi (Basel) 2023; 9:jof9040446. [PMID: 37108902 PMCID: PMC10145611 DOI: 10.3390/jof9040446] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2023] [Revised: 03/10/2023] [Accepted: 03/17/2023] [Indexed: 04/08/2023] Open
Abstract
There is an increasing interest in determining the influence of global change on plant–microorganism interactions. We review the results of experiments that evaluated the effects of the global change factors carbon dioxide, ozone, temperature, drought, flooding, and salinity on plant symbioses with beneficial Epichloë endophytes. The factors affected the performance of both plants and endophytes as well as the frequency of plants symbiotic with the fungus. Elevated carbon dioxide levels and low temperatures differentially influenced the growth of plants and endophytes, which could compromise the symbioses. Furthermore, we summarise the plant stage in which the effects of the factors were quantified (vegetative, reproductive, or progeny). The factors ozone and drought were studied at all plant stages, but flooding and carbon dioxide were studied in just a few of them. While only studied in response to ozone and drought, evidence showed that the effects of these factors on symbiotic plants persisted trans-generationally. We also identified the putative mechanisms that would explain the effects of the factors on plant–endophyte associations. These mechanisms included the increased contents of reactive oxygen species and defence-related phytohormones, reduced photosynthesis, and altered levels of plant primary metabolites. Finally, we describe the counteracting mechanisms by which endophytes would mitigate the detrimental effects of the factors on plants. In presence of the factors, endophytes increased the contents of antioxidants, reduced the levels of defence-related phytohormones, and enhanced the plant uptake of nutrients and photosynthesis levels. Knowledge gaps regarding the effects of global change on plant–endophyte associations were identified and discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel A. Bastías
- AgResearch Limited, Grasslands Research Centre, Palmerston North 4442, New Zealand
| | - Andrea C. Ueno
- Centro de Ecología Integrativa, Instituto de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad de Talca, Talca 3480094, Chile
- Instituto de Investigación Interdisciplinaria (I3), Universidad de Talca, Campus Talca, Talca 3480094, Chile
| | - Pedro E. Gundel
- Centro de Ecología Integrativa, Instituto de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad de Talca, Talca 3480094, Chile
- Facultad de Agronomía, IFEVA, CONICET, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires C1417DSE, Argentina
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Bubica Bustos LM, Ueno AC, Biganzoli F, Card SD, Mace WJ, Martínez-Ghersa MA, Gundel PE. Can Aphid Herbivory Induce Intergenerational Effects of Endophyte-conferred Resistance in Grasses? J Chem Ecol 2022; 48:867-881. [PMID: 36372818 DOI: 10.1007/s10886-022-01390-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2022] [Revised: 10/20/2022] [Accepted: 10/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Plants have evolved mechanisms to survive herbivory. One such mechanism is the induction of defences upon attack that can operate intergenerationally. Cool-season grasses (sub-family Pooideae) obtain defences via symbiosis with vertically transmitted fungal endophytes (genus Epichloë) and can also show inducible responses. However, it is unknown whether these herbivore-induced responses can have intergenerational effects. We hypothesized that herbivory by aphids on maternal plants induces the intergenerational accumulation of endophyte-derived defensive alkaloids and resistance intensification in the progeny. We subjected mother plants symbiotic or not with Epichloë occultans, a species known for its production of anti-insect alkaloids known as lolines, to the aphid Rhopalosiphum padi. Then, we evaluated the progeny of these plants in terms of loline alkaloid concentration, resistance level (through herbivore performance), and shoot biomass. Herbivory on mother plants did not increase the concentration of lolines in seeds but it tended to affect loline concentration in progeny plants. There was an overall herbivore-induced intergenerational effect increasing the endophyte-conferred defence and resistance. Symbiotic plants were more resistant to aphids and had higher shoot biomass than their non-symbiotic counterparts. Since maternal herbivory did not affect the loline concentrations in seeds, the greater resistance of the progeny could have resulted from an inherited mechanism of epigenetic regulation. It would be interesting to elucidate the origin of this regulation since it could come from the host or the fungal symbiont. Thus, endophyte-driven differential fitness between symbiotic and non-symbiotic plants might be higher as generations pass on in presence of herbivores.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Andrea C Ueno
- IFEVA, Facultad de Agronomía, Universidad de Buenos Aires, CONICET, Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Centro de Ecología Integrativa, Instituto de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad de Talca, Campus Lircay, Talca, Chile
| | - Fernando Biganzoli
- Departamento de Métodos Cuantitativos y Sistemas de Información, Facultad de Agronomía, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Stuart D Card
- Resilient Agriculture, Grasslands Research Centre, AgResearch Limited, Palmerston North, New Zealand
| | - Wade J Mace
- Resilient Agriculture, Grasslands Research Centre, AgResearch Limited, Palmerston North, New Zealand
| | | | - Pedro E Gundel
- IFEVA, Facultad de Agronomía, Universidad de Buenos Aires, CONICET, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
- Centro de Ecología Integrativa, Instituto de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad de Talca, Campus Lircay, Talca, Chile.
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8
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Croy RG, Sutherland BL, Hume DE, Mace WJ, van Koten C, Finch SC. Animal safety of a tall fescue endophyte ( Epichloë sp.) in a perennial ryegrass ( Lolium perenne) host. N Z Vet J 2021; 70:165-176. [PMID: 34850658 DOI: 10.1080/00480169.2021.2011795] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
AIMS To assess animal health and production in sheep grazing perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne) infected with a tall fescue endophyte (Epichloë sp.). METHODS Three replicates of pure perennial ryegrass pastures infected with AR501 tall fescue endophyte (AR501 HE), AR1, AR37 or standard endophyte (STD) (all >85% infection) and a low endophyte control (AR501 LE) were grazed by 10 lambs for 7 weeks during late summer/early autumn, 2017. AR501 HE and AR501 LE were in the same tetraploid cultivar and the remaining treatments were in the same diploid cultivar. Lambs were weighed on Days 0, 19, 37 and 48 and assessed for ryegrass staggers on a 0-4 tremor scale nine times from Day 13. On Days 14 and 20, rectal temperatures and respiration rates were measured in lambs grazing AR501 HE, AR501 LE and STD under heat load. Pasture samples from each treatment were taken regularly (8 times) for analysis of known endophyte secondary metabolites. RESULTS Peak mean ryegrass staggers scores for lambs grazing STD and AR37 treatments were 3.9 and 2.7, respectively, indicating environmental conditions were conducive to toxicity. Lambs grazing AR501 HE showed no ryegrass staggers at any date. The liveweight of STD lambs was up to 6.6 kg less than some or all other treatments on Days 19, 34 and 48 but there was no evidence of a difference between the liveweight of AR501 HE lambs and AR501 LE, AR37 or AR1 lambs on any date. Rectal temperatures and respiration rates of STD lambs were higher than AR501 HE lambs by 0.2°C and 26 breaths/minute, respectively. Apart from lower rectal temperature of AR501 HE lambs on Day 14, there was no evidence of differences between the AR501 HE and AR501 LE lambs.N-Formylloline was the only loline present in AR501 HE herbage (350-860 mg/kg). Peramine in AR501 HE herbage (42-77 mg/kg) was greater than that in STD and AR1 herbage on five and seven of the eight sampling dates, respectively. CONCLUSION Lambs grazing AR501 HE showed no ryegrass staggers, exacerbated heat stress or suppressed liveweight gain compared with lambs grazing AR501 LE in a season when endophyte-induced toxicity was evident in STD and AR37 pastures. This suggests AR501 tall fescue endophyte does not produce toxic concentrations of secondary metabolites. CLINICAL RELEVANCE This study suggests that there are no secondary metabolites produced by the tall fescue AR501 endophyte-perennial ryegrass association which affect animal health or production.
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Affiliation(s)
- R G Croy
- AgResearch Limited, Lincoln Research Centre, Lincoln, New Zealand
| | - B L Sutherland
- AgResearch Limited, Lincoln Research Centre, Lincoln, New Zealand
| | - D E Hume
- AgResearch Limited, Grasslands Research Centre, Palmerston North, New Zealand
| | - W J Mace
- AgResearch Limited, Grasslands Research Centre, Palmerston North, New Zealand
| | - C van Koten
- AgResearch Limited, Lincoln Research Centre, Lincoln, New Zealand
| | - S C Finch
- AgResearch Limited, Ruakura Agricultural Centre, Hamilton, New Zealand
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9
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Lee K, Missaoui A, Mahmud K, Presley H, Lonnee M. Interaction between Grasses and Epichloë Endophytes and Its Significance to Biotic and Abiotic Stress Tolerance and the Rhizosphere. Microorganisms 2021; 9:2186. [PMID: 34835312 PMCID: PMC8623577 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms9112186] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2021] [Revised: 10/13/2021] [Accepted: 10/14/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Cool-season grasses are the most common forage types in livestock operations and amenities. Several of the cool-season grasses establish mutualistic associations with an endophytic fungus of the Epichloë genus. The grasses and endophytic fungi have evolved over a long period of time to form host-fungus specific relationships that confer protection for the grass against various stressors in exchange for housing and nutrients to the fungus. This review provides an overview of the mechanisms by which Epichloë endophytes and grasses interact, including molecular pathways for secondary metabolite production. It also outlines specific mechanisms by which the endophyte helps protect the plant from various abiotic and biotic stressors. Finally, the review provides information on how Epichloë infection of grass and stressors affect the rhizosphere environment of the plant.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kendall Lee
- Institute of Plant Breeding, Genetics and Genomics, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA; (K.L.); (H.P.)
| | - Ali Missaoui
- Institute of Plant Breeding, Genetics and Genomics, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA; (K.L.); (H.P.)
- Department of Crop and Soil Science, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA;
| | - Kishan Mahmud
- Center for Applied Genetic Technologies, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA;
| | - Holly Presley
- Institute of Plant Breeding, Genetics and Genomics, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA; (K.L.); (H.P.)
| | - Marin Lonnee
- Department of Crop and Soil Science, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA;
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Lee K, Missaoui A, Mahmud K, Presley H, Lonnee M. Interaction between Grasses and Epichloë Endophytes and Its Significance to Biotic and Abiotic Stress Tolerance and the Rhizosphere. Microorganisms 2021. [PMID: 34835312 DOI: 10.1007/10.3390/microorganisms9112186] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Cool-season grasses are the most common forage types in livestock operations and amenities. Several of the cool-season grasses establish mutualistic associations with an endophytic fungus of the Epichloë genus. The grasses and endophytic fungi have evolved over a long period of time to form host-fungus specific relationships that confer protection for the grass against various stressors in exchange for housing and nutrients to the fungus. This review provides an overview of the mechanisms by which Epichloë endophytes and grasses interact, including molecular pathways for secondary metabolite production. It also outlines specific mechanisms by which the endophyte helps protect the plant from various abiotic and biotic stressors. Finally, the review provides information on how Epichloë infection of grass and stressors affect the rhizosphere environment of the plant.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kendall Lee
- Institute of Plant Breeding, Genetics and Genomics, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA
| | - Ali Missaoui
- Institute of Plant Breeding, Genetics and Genomics, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA
- Department of Crop and Soil Science, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA
| | - Kishan Mahmud
- Center for Applied Genetic Technologies, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA
| | - Holly Presley
- Institute of Plant Breeding, Genetics and Genomics, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA
| | - Marin Lonnee
- Department of Crop and Soil Science, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA
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Morsy M, Cleckler B, Armuelles-Millican H. Fungal Endophytes Promote Tomato Growth and Enhance Drought and Salt Tolerance. Plants (Basel) 2020; 9:E877. [PMID: 32664321 PMCID: PMC7411952 DOI: 10.3390/plants9070877] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2020] [Revised: 07/03/2020] [Accepted: 07/08/2020] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
In a search for efficient fungal endophytes that can promote crop production and/or increase crop tolerance to abiotic stress, we isolated and tested various species harbored by wild plants. Sixty-seven endophytic fungal isolates were obtained from drought stressed, poor soil habitats, and inland high salt areas. We extensively tested the roles of Ampelomyces sp. and Penicillium sp. isolates in improving tomato growth and yield. Under greenhouse and field trails, Ampelomyces sp. and Penicillium sp. endophytes proved effective in conferring positive benefits to tomatoes placed under stress as well as under normal growing conditions. Ampelomyces sp. conferred tolerance to tomatoes placed under drought stress in addition to enhancing overall plant growth and fruit yield in comparison to non-symbiotic plants under drought stress. Penicillium sp. conferred tolerance to tomatoes placed under 300 mM salinity stress in addition to enhancing root biomass in comparison to non-symbiotic plants. Both endophytes proved efficient in enhancing plant growth, stress tolerance, recovery, and fruit yield under optimal experimental conditions in comparison to non-symbiotic plants. Field testing of tomato yield showed increased yield of symbiotic tomatoes compared to non-symbiotic ones. This data suggests that both Ampelomyces sp. and Penicillium sp. share a promising potential for improving future agricultural production, particularly with the projected changes in climate in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mustafa Morsy
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of West Alabama, Livingston, AL 35470, USA; (B.C.); (H.A.-M.)
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