Enhancing drought resistance in Pinus tabuliformis seedlings through root symbiotic fungi inoculation

作者：Lingjie Xu, Jiadong He, Meng Yu, Yanyan Zheng, Bin Lu, Jiawen Zhang, Yong Zhou · 发表于：Frontiers in Plant Science · 年份：2024 · DOI：10.3389/fpls.2024.1446437 · 被引用次数：13 · 研究领域：Mycorrhizal Fungi and Plant Interactions、Plant-Microbe Interactions and Immunity、Plant and fungal interactions

Background Drought constitutes a major abiotic stress factor adversely affecting plant growth and productivity. Plant-microbe symbiotic associations have evolved regulatory mechanisms to adapt to environmental stress conditions. However, the interactive effects of different fungi on host growth and stress tolerance under drought conditions remain unclear. Objective This study explored the effects of varying polyethylene glycol (PEG-6000) concentrations (0%, 15%, 25%, and 35%) on the growth and physiological responses of two ectomycorrhizal fungi ( Suillus granulatus (Sg) and Pisolithus tinctorius (Pt)) and two dark septate endophytes ( Pleotrichocladium opacum (Po) and Pseudopyrenochaeta sp. (Ps)) isolated from the root system of Pinus tabuliformis . Specifically, the study aimed to evaluate six inoculation treatments, including no inoculation (CK), single inoculations with Sg, Pt, Po, Ps, and a mixed inoculation (Sg: Pt : Po: Ps = 1:1:1:1), on the growth and physiological characteristics of P. tabuliformis seedlings under different water regimes: well-watered at 70% ± 5%, light drought at 50% ± 5%, and severe drought at 30% ± 5% of the maximum field water holding capacity. Results All four fungi exhibited the capacity to cope with drought stress by enhancing antioxidant activities and regulating osmotic balance. Upon successful root colonization, they increased plant height, shoot biomass, root biomass, total biomass, and mycorrhizal growth response in P. tabuliformis seedli...