Nutrient Concentration in Growth Medium Affects Relationship between Root Endophytic Fungi and Host Plant

Aims: To clarify the effect of nutrient concentration in growth medium on the relationship between host plants, Brassica campestris and Paraserianthes falcataria, and endophytic fungi (EPF).

Study Design: Inoculation of the two host plants growing in two media with different nutrient concentrations with 33 EPF.

Place and Duration of Study: Laboratory of Plant Nutrition and Soil Science, Faculty of Agriculture, Yamagata University, between 2016 and 2017.

Methodology: B. campestris and P. falcataria were grown on 1/100 and 1/10 strength Murashige and Skoog (MS) media. Both plants were inoculated with 33 EPF isolated from forest soils in Indonesia. B. campestris and P. falcataria were harvested 28 and 37 days after transplanting, respectively, and shoot dry weight (SDW) and colonization rate were measured. Plant response (PR) to EPF inoculation was calculated on the basis of SDW, as follows: PR = [SDW (inoculated) – SDW (control)] / SDW (inoculated).

Results: SDW of B. campestris grown on 1/100 strength MS medium inoculated with 2, 23 or 8 EPF was higher than, the same as, or lower than that of control plant, respectively. SDW of B. campestris grown on 1/10 strength MS medium inoculated with 24 or 9 EPF was the same as or lower than that of control plant, respectively. SDW of P. falcataria grown on 1/100 strength MS medium inoculated with 1 or 32 EPF was higher than or the same as that of control plant, respectively. SDW of P. falcataria grown on 1/10 strength MS medium inoculated with 11 or 22 EPF was the same as or lower than that of control plant, respectively.

Conclusion: These results suggest that nutrient concentration in growth medium affected the relationship between plant and EPF.