Growth-Promoting Endophytic Fungus (Stemphylium lycopersici) Ameliorates Salt Stress Tolerance in Maize by Balancing Ionic and Metabolic Status
Climate change is a major cause of the world's food security problems, and soil salinity is a severe hazard for a variety of crops. The exploitation of endophytic fungi that are known to have a positive association with plant roots is preferred for improving plant growth, yield, and overall per...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Frontiers Media S.A.
2022-07-01
|
| Series: | Frontiers in Plant Science |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpls.2022.890565/full |
| _version_ | 1818156291211657216 |
|---|---|
| author | Raid Ali Humaira Gul Mamoona Rauf Muhammad Arif Muhammad Hamayun Husna Sheza Ayaz Khilji Aziz Ud-Din Zahoor Ahmad Sajid In-Jung Lee |
| author_facet | Raid Ali Humaira Gul Mamoona Rauf Muhammad Arif Muhammad Hamayun Husna Sheza Ayaz Khilji Aziz Ud-Din Zahoor Ahmad Sajid In-Jung Lee |
| author_sort | Raid Ali |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Climate change is a major cause of the world's food security problems, and soil salinity is a severe hazard for a variety of crops. The exploitation of endophytic fungi that are known to have a positive association with plant roots is preferred for improving plant growth, yield, and overall performance under salt stress. The current study thus rationalized to address how salt stress affected the growth, biochemical properties, antioxidant capacity, endogenous indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), and the ionic status of maize associated with endophytic fungus (Stemphylium lycopersici). According to the findings, salt stress reduced chlorophyll a and b, total chlorophyll, total protein, sugars, lipids, and endogenous IAA levels. Enhanced values of chlorophyll a/b ratio, carotenoids, secondary metabolites (phenol, flavonoids, and tannins), antioxidant enzyme activity (catalase, ascorbate peroxidase), proline, and lipid peroxidation were noticed in maize plants under salt stress. Increased ionic content of Na+, Cl−, Na+/K+, and Na+/Ca2+ ratio, as well as decreased Ca2+, K+, Mg2+, N, and P contents, were also found in salt-stressed maize plants. In comparison to the non-saline medium, endophytic association promoted the antioxidant enzyme activities (798.7 U/g protein; catalase activity, 106 U/g protein; ascorbate peroxidase activity), IAA content (3.47 mg/g FW), and phenolics and flavonoids (88 and 1.68 μg/g FW, respectively), and decreased MDA content (0.016 nmol/g FW), Na+ ion content (18 mg/g dry weight), Cl− ion (16.6 mg/g dry weight), and Na+/K+ (0.78) and Na+/Ca2+ (1.79) ratios, in maize plants under salt stress, whereas Ca2+, K+, Mg2+, N, and P contents were increased in maize plants associated with S. lycopersici under salt stress. Current research exposed the role of S. lycopersici as an effective natural salt stress reducer and maize growth promoter; hence, it can be used as a biofertilizer to ameliorate salt stress tolerance in crops along with better growth performance in saline regions. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-11T14:55:58Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-7f0c01877c5d46989d125c1d4924b111 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1664-462X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-11T14:55:58Z |
| publishDate | 2022-07-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Plant Science |
| spelling | doaj.art-7f0c01877c5d46989d125c1d4924b1112022-12-22T01:01:19ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Plant Science1664-462X2022-07-011310.3389/fpls.2022.890565890565Growth-Promoting Endophytic Fungus (Stemphylium lycopersici) Ameliorates Salt Stress Tolerance in Maize by Balancing Ionic and Metabolic StatusRaid Ali0Humaira Gul1Mamoona Rauf2Muhammad Arif3Muhammad Hamayun4 Husna5Sheza Ayaz Khilji6Aziz Ud-Din7Zahoor Ahmad Sajid8In-Jung Lee9Department of Botany, Abdul Wali Khan University, Mardan, PakistanDepartment of Botany, Abdul Wali Khan University, Mardan, PakistanDepartment of Botany, Abdul Wali Khan University, Mardan, PakistanDepartment of Biotechnology, Abdul Wali Khan University, Mardan, PakistanDepartment of Botany, Abdul Wali Khan University, Mardan, PakistanDepartment of Botany, Abdul Wali Khan University, Mardan, PakistanDepartment of Botany, Division of Science and Technology, University of Education Township, Lahore, PakistanDepartment of Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering, Hazara University, Mansehra, PakistanInstitute of Botany, University of the Punjab, Lahore, PakistanDepartment of Applied Biosciences, Kyungpook National University, Daegu, South KoreaClimate change is a major cause of the world's food security problems, and soil salinity is a severe hazard for a variety of crops. The exploitation of endophytic fungi that are known to have a positive association with plant roots is preferred for improving plant growth, yield, and overall performance under salt stress. The current study thus rationalized to address how salt stress affected the growth, biochemical properties, antioxidant capacity, endogenous indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), and the ionic status of maize associated with endophytic fungus (Stemphylium lycopersici). According to the findings, salt stress reduced chlorophyll a and b, total chlorophyll, total protein, sugars, lipids, and endogenous IAA levels. Enhanced values of chlorophyll a/b ratio, carotenoids, secondary metabolites (phenol, flavonoids, and tannins), antioxidant enzyme activity (catalase, ascorbate peroxidase), proline, and lipid peroxidation were noticed in maize plants under salt stress. Increased ionic content of Na+, Cl−, Na+/K+, and Na+/Ca2+ ratio, as well as decreased Ca2+, K+, Mg2+, N, and P contents, were also found in salt-stressed maize plants. In comparison to the non-saline medium, endophytic association promoted the antioxidant enzyme activities (798.7 U/g protein; catalase activity, 106 U/g protein; ascorbate peroxidase activity), IAA content (3.47 mg/g FW), and phenolics and flavonoids (88 and 1.68 μg/g FW, respectively), and decreased MDA content (0.016 nmol/g FW), Na+ ion content (18 mg/g dry weight), Cl− ion (16.6 mg/g dry weight), and Na+/K+ (0.78) and Na+/Ca2+ (1.79) ratios, in maize plants under salt stress, whereas Ca2+, K+, Mg2+, N, and P contents were increased in maize plants associated with S. lycopersici under salt stress. Current research exposed the role of S. lycopersici as an effective natural salt stress reducer and maize growth promoter; hence, it can be used as a biofertilizer to ameliorate salt stress tolerance in crops along with better growth performance in saline regions.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpls.2022.890565/fullStemphylium lycopersiciprolinesalinitymaizeIAAendophytic fungus |
| spellingShingle | Raid Ali Humaira Gul Mamoona Rauf Muhammad Arif Muhammad Hamayun Husna Sheza Ayaz Khilji Aziz Ud-Din Zahoor Ahmad Sajid In-Jung Lee Growth-Promoting Endophytic Fungus (Stemphylium lycopersici) Ameliorates Salt Stress Tolerance in Maize by Balancing Ionic and Metabolic Status Frontiers in Plant Science Stemphylium lycopersici proline salinity maize IAA endophytic fungus |
| title | Growth-Promoting Endophytic Fungus (Stemphylium lycopersici) Ameliorates Salt Stress Tolerance in Maize by Balancing Ionic and Metabolic Status |
| title_full | Growth-Promoting Endophytic Fungus (Stemphylium lycopersici) Ameliorates Salt Stress Tolerance in Maize by Balancing Ionic and Metabolic Status |
| title_fullStr | Growth-Promoting Endophytic Fungus (Stemphylium lycopersici) Ameliorates Salt Stress Tolerance in Maize by Balancing Ionic and Metabolic Status |
| title_full_unstemmed | Growth-Promoting Endophytic Fungus (Stemphylium lycopersici) Ameliorates Salt Stress Tolerance in Maize by Balancing Ionic and Metabolic Status |
| title_short | Growth-Promoting Endophytic Fungus (Stemphylium lycopersici) Ameliorates Salt Stress Tolerance in Maize by Balancing Ionic and Metabolic Status |
| title_sort | growth promoting endophytic fungus stemphylium lycopersici ameliorates salt stress tolerance in maize by balancing ionic and metabolic status |
| topic | Stemphylium lycopersici proline salinity maize IAA endophytic fungus |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpls.2022.890565/full |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT raidali growthpromotingendophyticfungusstemphyliumlycopersiciamelioratessaltstresstoleranceinmaizebybalancingionicandmetabolicstatus AT humairagul growthpromotingendophyticfungusstemphyliumlycopersiciamelioratessaltstresstoleranceinmaizebybalancingionicandmetabolicstatus AT mamoonarauf growthpromotingendophyticfungusstemphyliumlycopersiciamelioratessaltstresstoleranceinmaizebybalancingionicandmetabolicstatus AT muhammadarif growthpromotingendophyticfungusstemphyliumlycopersiciamelioratessaltstresstoleranceinmaizebybalancingionicandmetabolicstatus AT muhammadhamayun growthpromotingendophyticfungusstemphyliumlycopersiciamelioratessaltstresstoleranceinmaizebybalancingionicandmetabolicstatus AT husna growthpromotingendophyticfungusstemphyliumlycopersiciamelioratessaltstresstoleranceinmaizebybalancingionicandmetabolicstatus AT shezaayazkhilji growthpromotingendophyticfungusstemphyliumlycopersiciamelioratessaltstresstoleranceinmaizebybalancingionicandmetabolicstatus AT azizuddin growthpromotingendophyticfungusstemphyliumlycopersiciamelioratessaltstresstoleranceinmaizebybalancingionicandmetabolicstatus AT zahoorahmadsajid growthpromotingendophyticfungusstemphyliumlycopersiciamelioratessaltstresstoleranceinmaizebybalancingionicandmetabolicstatus AT injunglee growthpromotingendophyticfungusstemphyliumlycopersiciamelioratessaltstresstoleranceinmaizebybalancingionicandmetabolicstatus |