Effects of endophyte infection on fungal disease resistance of Achnatherum sibiricum and non-symbiotic neighbours

doi:10.17521/cjpe.2021.0132

Abstract

Abstract:

Aims Epichloë infection can affect the fungal disease resistance of host grasses. However, few studies have been reported on the effects of endophyte infection on non-symbiotic neighbours.
Methods We surveyed the plant diseases in natural grassland, and compared differences of total disease index between neighbor and non-neighbor plants of Achnatherum sibiricum. Then the laboratory experiments were conducted to investigate the effects of endophyte on the growth of four pathogen species as well as the brown patch of the host and its neighbor plants.
Important findings Major epidemic diseases of grasses were spot blight, rust disease and powdery mildew in Hulun Buir natural grassland. Among common herbages, the total disease index of endophyte-infected A. sibiricum was the lowest. Compared with non-neighbor plants, the brown patch disease index of Leymus chinensis, Stipa baicalensis and Agropyron cristatum was significantly reduced when neighbouring with A. sibiricum. The laboratory experiments results showed that the culture filtration of both Epichloë gansuensis and Epichloë sibiricum significantly restrained the growth of Curvularia lunata, Bipolaris sorokiniana, Sclerotinia sclerotioru and Sclerotinia trifoliorum. The two species of endophytes could reduce lesion area of detached host leaves. In the intact leaves, the endophyte reduced the disease resistance of both the host and its neighbor grasses L. chinensis to C. lunata and B. sorokiniana. This study first verified that the endophytes in A. sibiricum have a positive effect on disease resistance of neighbor grasses to brown patch.

Key words: endophyte, Achnatherum sibiricum, neighbor grasses, fungal pathogens, brown patch

SHI Xin-Jian, ZHANG Jing-Xin, QIN Tian-Zi, LIU Jin-Ming, GAO Yu-Bao, REN An-Zhi. Effects of endophyte infection on fungal disease resistance of Achnatherum sibiricum and non-symbiotic neighbours[J]. Chin J Plant Ecol, 2021, 45(8): 860-869.

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URL: https://www.plant-ecology.com/EN/10.17521/cjpe.2021.0132

https://www.plant-ecology.com/EN/Y2021/V45/I8/860

Figures/Tables 8

Table 1 Plant diseases in Hulun Buir grassland

科 Family	属数 Genus number	物种数 Species number	草原病情指数 Grassland diseases index
科 Family	属数 Genus number	物种数 Species number	斑枯病 Spot blight	黄斑病 Yellow blotch	锈病 Rust disease	褐斑病 Brown patch	白粉病 Powdery mildew	其他病害 Others	累计 Total
禾本科 Gramineae	10	10	13.0	6.4	8.0	5.5	6.8	0.2	39.8
豆科 Leguminosae	5	6	22.8	0.5	2.2	3.9	4.3	-	33.7
菊科 Compositae	7	14	17.4	3.0	1.2	1.9	8.6	0.6	32.7
蔷薇科 Rosaceae	2	6	21.0	7.7	5.0	1.0	1.0	-	35.8
毛茛科 Ranunculaceae	3	5	21.2	5.0	5.1	1.8	0.9	1.0	35.0
百合科 Liliaceae	2	3	34.7	8.1	3.3	1.2	-	0.2	47.4
鸢尾科 Iridaceae	1	3	29.7	17.8	1.4	1.0	0.2	-	50.1
唇形科 Labiatae	2	2	34.4	-	-	-	-	-	34.4
伞形科 Umbelliferae	2	2	20.9	1.2	-	0.1	-	0.2	22.3
石竹科 Caryophyllaceae	2	2	5.4	14.2	-	-	25.0	-	44.6
车前科 Plantaginaceae	1	1	20.0	-	-	-	46.7	-	66.7
川续断科 Dipsacaceae	1	1	40.0	11.7	-	-	8.9	-	60.6
大戟科 Euphorbiaceae	1	1	15.0	-	-	-	-	-	15.0
景天科 Crassulaceae	1	1	-	-	-	-	-	-	0
桔梗科 Campanulaceae	1	1	18.5	2.8	-	0.3	-	0.6	22.2
蓼科 Polygonaceae	1	1	22.5	41.3	-	-	-	-	63.8
柳叶菜科 Onagraceae	1	1	30.0	22.5	-	10.0	-	-	62.5
龙胆科 Gentianaceae	1	1	7.5	15.0	-	-	16.7	-	39.2
马钱科 Loganiaceae	1	1	48.3	-	22.9	-	-	-	71.2
茜草科 Rubiaceae	1	1	11.4	4.1	0.2	1.0	-	-	16.7
莎草科 Cyperaceae	1	1	49.7	1.1	2.6	1.4	0.1	-	54.9
十字花科 Brassicaceae	1	1	7.5	11.7	-	-	7.8	-	27.0
苋科 Amaranthaceae	1	1	-	-	-	-	-	-	0
玄参科 Scrophulariaceae	1	1	-	-	-	3.8	13.3	-	17.1
旋花科 Convolvulaceae	1	1	-	22.5	-	-	-	-	22.5

Fig. 1 Total disease index of common herbages in Hulun Buir grassland. Ac, Agropyron cristatum; As, Achnatherum sibiricum; Cp, Carex pediformis; Il, Iris lactea; Lc, Leymus chinensis; Pc, Pulsatilla chinensis; Sb, Stipa baicalensis; Sd, Saposhnikovia divaricata; Ts, Thalictrum squarrosum; Vs, Vicia sepium.

Fig. 2 Frequency distribution of disease index of neighbor and non-neighbor plants with Achnatherum sibiricum of the native grassland in Hulun Buir grassland. A, D, Leymus chinensis. B, E, Stipa baicalensis. C, F, Agropyron cristatum. p was tested by nonparametric Mann-Whitney U test, p < 0.05 indicate significant difference between neighbor and non-neighber.

Fig. 3 Mean inhibition rate of culture filtrate of different endophytes on four species of pathogenic fungi (mean ± SE, n = 5). Different uppercase letters indicate significant difference among pathogenic fungis (p < 0.05). EG, Epichloë gansuensis; ES, Epichloë sibiricum. Bs, Bipolaris sorokiniana; Cl, Curvularia lunata; Ss, Sclerotinia sclerotioru; St, Sclerotinia trifoliorum.

Fig. 4 Mean inhibition rate of disease area on detached leaves of Achnatherum sibiricum after inoculation with 4 pathogenic fungi (means ± SE, n = 5). Different uppercase letters indicate significant difference between different pathogenic fungis (p < 0.05). EF, endophyte-free A. sibiricum leaves; EG, Epichloë gansuensis-infected A. sibiricum leaves; ES, Epichloë sibiricum-infected A. sibiricum leaves; Bs, Bipolaris sorokiniana; Cl, Curvularia lunata; Ss, Sclerotinia sclerotioru; St, Sclerotinia trifoliorum.

Table 2 Multi-way ANOVA showing the effects of endophyte (E), pathogen (P) and mixture type (M) on lesion number and length of Achnatherum sibiricum and Leymus chinensis

因素 Factor	羽茅 Achnatherum sibiricum				羊草 Leymus chinensis
	病斑数 Lesion number		病斑长度 Lesion length		病斑数 Lesion number		病斑长度 Lesion length
		F	p	F	p	F	p	F	p
E	137.68	<0.001	65.73	<0.001
P	147.75	<0.001	3.16	0.078	82.59	<0.001	17.53	<0.001
M	1.32	0.271	1.83	0.165	4.87	0.011	0.81	0.451
P × M	0.02	0.980	0.55	0.578	1.24	0.298	0.20	0.819
E × P	4.74	0.032	2.33	0.130
E × M	0.13	0.871	0.31	0.734
E × P × M	0.26	0.774	0.15	0.861

Fig. 5 Mean number (A) and length of lesions (B) of endophyte-free (□) and endophyte-infected (■) Achnatherum sibiricum after inoculated by pathogenic fungi (means ± SE, n = 10). Different lowercase letters indicate significant difference (p < 0.05).

Fig. 6 Mean number (A) and length of lesions (B) of neighbor Leymus chinensis inoculated by pathogenic fungi (means ± SE, n = 10). Different lowercase letters indicate significant difference (p < 0.05). Lc, L. chinensis grown in monoculture (mono); LcEF, L. chinensis grown with endophyte-free Achnatherum sibiricum; LcEI, L. chinensis grown with endophyte-infected A. sibiricum.

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