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Plant–Fungi Interaction: Two-Edged Sword for Plant Growth, Production and Storage

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A special issue of Biology (ISSN 2079-7737). This special issue belongs to the section "Plant Science".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 December 2022) | Viewed by 23814

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Taotao Li

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Guest Editor

South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510650, China
Interests: postharvest biology and technology; fruit; postharvest disease; fungi; mycotoxin; proteomics; omics; senescence; plant-fungi interaction; fungal effectors

Prof. Dr. Samantha C. Karunarathna

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Guest Editor

1. Center for Yunnan Plateau Biological Resources Protection and Utilization, College of Biological Resource and Food Engineering, Qujing Normal University, Qujing 655011, China
2. National Institute of Fundamental Studies (NIFS), Kandy, Sri Lanka
Interests: fungal taxonomy; fungal phylogeny; Basidiomycota; Ascomycota; fungal pathogens
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Jie Chen

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Guest Editor

Research Institute of Tropical Forestry, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Guangzhou 510520, China
Interests: plant–microbial interactions; soil functional microbial communities; soil nitrogen cycling; soil microbial phosphorus transformation; forest management

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

During the growth process, plants interact closely with microorganisms. Among them, fungi play important roles, including positive and negative effects on plant growth and production, even during storage. Plant–fungal interkingdom interactions are increasingly evidenced to be more important in regulating ecosystem stability and services than either one community, and soil nutrient availability plays a pivotal role in controlling microbial feedbacks to plant changes and further driving plant–microbial interactions. However, the interactions between plants with soil functional fungal communities involved in nutrients (such as N and P) transformations and underlying mechanisms are poorly understood. In contrast, plant–fungi interaction is also a vital part of phytopathology. Fungal infection on plant or fruit causes serious economic loss and even threatens human health. Understanding of the pathogenic mechanism and the important genes or pathways involved in the infection processes is vital to control fungal disease during plant growth and storage. Additionally, environmental factors affect plant–fungi interaction. However, our understandings of the effects of environmental factors on fungal infection on plant host are still lacking. No matter what effect fungi have on plant growth, fungal identification and authentication are important for us to generate accurate and useful data during plant–fungi interaction.

For this Special issue, we encourage the submission of manuscripts on any aspects of plant–fungi interaction and provide valuable insight to the scientific community, ranging from the micro to macro scale, from ecosystem to lab experiment concerning positive or negative effects of fungi on plants. Papers covering the taxonomy, ecology, physiology, and phylogeny of fungi and fungal biodiversity estimates are also welcome.

Dr. Taotao Li
Dr. Samantha C. Karunarathna
Dr. Jie Chen
Guest Editors

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Keywords

plant–fungal interaction
fruit
fungal disease
forest
soil
fungal taxonomy
fungal ecology
soil microbial nutrient cycling
fungal communities

Published Papers (9 papers)

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Research

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19 pages, 8801 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Cultivars Resistance Assay for Maize Late Wilt Disease

by Ofir Degani, Ran Yifa, Asaf Gordani, Paz Becher and Assaf Chen

Biology 2022, 11(12), 1854; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/biology11121854 - 19 Dec 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1593

Abstract

Magnaporthiopsis maydis late wilt disease (LWD) in corn is considered to be the most severe in Israel and Egypt and poses a significant threat in other countries. Research efforts extending over a period of five decades led to the development of chemical, biological, agrotechnical, physical (solar disinfection) and other means for controlling late wilt disease. Today, some applications can reduce damage even in severe cases. However, cultivating disease-resistant maize varieties is the primary means for reducing the disease’s impact. The current work uses a rapid (six days) laboratory seedling pathogenicity test and a full-season open encloser semi-field conditioned pots assay (101 days) to classify maize varieties according to their LWD resistance. To better evaluate differences between the cultivars, a real-time based molecular assay was applied to track the pathogen’s presence in the plants’ tissues, and visible light aerial imaging was used in parallel. The findings show that in cases of extreme sensitivity or tolerance (for example, in the highly susceptible Megaton cultivar (cv.) or the resistant Hatai cv.), a similarity in the results exists between the different methods. Thus, a reliable estimate of the varieties’ sensitivity can be obtained in a seed assay without the need for a test carried out throughout an entire growing season. At the same time, in most situations of partial or reduced LWD sensitivity/resistance, there is no match between the various tests, and only the entire growing season can provide the most reliable results. Tracking the amount of M. maydis DNA in the plants’ bodies is a precise, sensitive scientific tool of great importance for studying the development of the disease and the factors affecting it. Yet, no complete overlap exists between the fungal DNA amount and symptom severity. Such a correlation exists in high sensitivity or resistance cases but not in intermediate situations. Still, the valuation of the pathogen’s establishment in asymptomatic corn hybrids can indicate the degree of LWD immunity and the chance of susceptibility development. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant–Fungi Interaction: Two-Edged Sword for Plant Growth, Production and Storage)

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22 pages, 2294 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Mycorrhizal Colonization Modulates the Essential Oil Profile and Enzymatic and Non-Enzymatic Antioxidants to Mitigate the Adverse Effects of Water Deficit in Salvia subg. Perovskia

by Mahvash Afshari, Mehdi Rahimmalek, Mohammad R. Sabzalian, Antoni Szumny, Adam Matkowski and Anna Jezierska-Domaradzka

Biology 2022, 11(12), 1757; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/biology11121757 - 02 Dec 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1260

Abstract

Among traditional Iranian herbs, Perovskia species (a subgenus of Salvia), while being valued ornamentals, are also studied for numerous potential pharmacological and therapeutic aspects. The current study was conducted to assess the effectiveness of two species of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), Funneliformis mosseae and Rhizophagus intraradices, separately and in combination, in terms of the essential oil content and compositions along with the enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidants in Salvia abrotanoides and S. yangii in response to three levels of irrigation, including 100% FC as well-watered, 75% FC (moderate irrigation deficit), and 50% FC (severe irrigation deficit). In both species, essential oil content, enzyme antioxidant activities, total phenolics, and flavonoids were increased significantly with the severity of stress; this increase was more pronounced in mycorrhizal inoculated herbs. Furthermore, leaf phosphorus concentration, relative water content, chlorophylls a and b, and total carotenoids decreased in parallel with reducing soil moisture; albeit, AMF inoculation improved the stress symptoms under increasing severity of water restriction compared with their control conditions. In addition, the percentage of root colonization was positively correlated with the relative water content (RWC) and leaf phosphorus concentration. Taking into account the essential oil groups, AMF colonization elevated some essential oil components, such as oxygenated monoterpenes, 1,8-cineol, camphor, and borneol, whereas the main sesquiterpenes, including E-β-caryophyllene and α-humulene, remarkably decreased. Taken together, these findings highlighted the role of symbiosis with AMFs in increasing the tolerance of water deficit stress in S. abrotanoides and S. yangii and improving their essential oil composition. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant–Fungi Interaction: Two-Edged Sword for Plant Growth, Production and Storage)

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23 pages, 2721 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Molecular Diversity and Evolutionary Relatedness of Paulownia Witches’-Broom Phytoplasma in Different Geographical Distributions in China

by De-Zhi Kong, Cai-Li Lin, Shao-Shuai Yu, Guo-Zhong Tian, Hai-Bin Ma and Sheng-Jie Wang

Biology 2022, 11(11), 1611; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/biology11111611 - 03 Nov 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1995

Abstract

To reveal the distribution and transmission pathway of Paulownia witches’-broom (PaWB) disease, which is caused by phytoplasmas related to genetic variation, and the adaptability to the hosts and environments of the pathogenic population in different geographical regions in China, in this study, we used ten housekeeping gene fragments, including rp, fusA, secY, tuf, secA, dnaK, rpoB, pyrG, gyrB, and ipt, for multilocus sequence typing (MLST). A total of 142 PaWB phytoplasma strains were collected from 18 provinces or municipalities. The results showed that the genetic diversity was comparatively higher among the PaWB phytoplasma strains, and substantially different from that of the other 16SrI subgroup strains. The number of gene variation sites for different housekeeping genes in the PaWB phytoplasma strains ranged from 1 to 14 SNPs. Among them, rpoB (1.47%) and dnaK (1.12%) had higher genetic variation, and rp (0.20%) had the least genetic variation. The tuf and rpoB genes showed the fixation of positively selected beneficial mutations in the PaWB phytoplasma populations, and all housekeeping genes except tuf followed the neutral evolutionary model. We found an absence of recombination among PaWB phytoplasma sequence types (STs) for each housekeeping gene except dnaK, and no evidence for such recombination events for concatenated sequences of PaWB phytoplasma strains. The 22 sequence types were identified among the concatenated sequences of seven housekeeping genes (rp, fusA, secY, secA, tuf, dnaK, and rpoB) from 105 representative strains. We analyzed all 22 STs by goeBURST algorithm, forming two clonal complexes (CCs) and three singletons. Among them, ST1, as the primary founder of CC1, had the widest geographical distribution, accounting for 72.38% of all strains, with a high frequency of shared sequence type. The results of phylogenetic analysis of the concatenated sequences further revealed that the 105 strains were clustered into two representative lineages of PaWB phytoplasma, with obvious geographical differentiation. The ST1 strains of highly homogeneous lineage-1 were a widespread and predominant population in diseased areas. Lineage-2 contained strains from Jiangxi, Fujian, and Shaanxi provinces, highlighting the close genetic relatedness of the strains in these regions, which was also consistent with the results of most single-gene phylogenetic analysis of each gene. We also found that the variability in the northwest China population was higher than in other geographical populations; the range of genetic differentiation between the south of the Yangtze River population and the Huang-huai-hai Plain (or southwest China) population was relatively large. The achieved diversity and evolution data, as well as the MLST technique, are helpful for epidemiological studies and guiding PaWB disease control decisions. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant–Fungi Interaction: Two-Edged Sword for Plant Growth, Production and Storage)

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15 pages, 1433 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Endophytic Fungi as Potential Biocontrol Agents against Rhizoctonia solani J.G. Kühn, the Causal Agent of Rice Sheath Blight Disease

by Mohammad Reza Safari Motlagh, Bahar Jahangiri, Dariusz Kulus, Alicja Tymoszuk and Behzad Kaviani

Biology 2022, 11(9), 1282; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/biology11091282 - 29 Aug 2022

Cited by 12 | Viewed by 2954

Abstract

The rice sheath blight disease, caused by Rhizoctonia solani J.G. Kühn fungus, is a major disease of Oryza sativa L. occurring all over the world. Therefore, efforts need to be undertaken to limit the spread of this pathogen, preferably by using environmentally friendly methods. In the present study, 57 fungal isolates were recovered by surface sterilization technique from 120 rice samples collected from paddy fields in Guilan province, Iran. Biological characterizations of the isolated taxa were performed in vitro, in the dual culture, volatile metabolites, and slide culture methods. Among the studied isolates, Trichoderma virens (J. H. Miller, Giddens and A. A. Foster) Arx was most effective in inhibiting the mycelial growth of R. solani in the dual culture (44.16% inhibition level), while Aspergillus fumigatus Fresen and T. virens had a 62.50–68.75% inhibition efficiency by volatile metabolites. In the slide culture, all of the isolates, except for T. harzianum Rifai, were effective in inhibiting the hyphae growth of R. solani. Under greenhouse conditions, rice plants inoculated with these potential antagonistic fungi showed a reduction in disease severity by even 41.4% as in the case of T. virens. Moreover, phenotypic properties of rice, such as plant height, fresh weight, and dry weight were increased in the plants inoculated with all antagonistic fungi tested, compared to the infected plants, except for the fresh weight of plants inoculated with Curnularia lunata (Wakker) Boedijn. The present in vivo and in vitro studies revealed that T. virens and A. fumigatus are the most effective antagonists in rice sheath blight disease control and could be applied in agricultural practice. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant–Fungi Interaction: Two-Edged Sword for Plant Growth, Production and Storage)

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17 pages, 2769 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Transcriptome Analysis of Plenodomus tracheiphilus Infecting Rough Lemon (Citrus jambhiri Lush.) Indicates a Multifaceted Strategy during Host Pathogenesis

by Angelo Sicilia, Riccardo Russo, Marco Caruso, Carmen Arlotta, Silvia Di Silvestro, Frederick G. Gmitter, Jr., Alessandra Gentile, Elisabetta Nicolosi and Angela Roberta Lo Piero

Biology 2022, 11(5), 761; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/biology11050761 - 17 May 2022

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2352

Abstract

The causal agent of mal secco disease is the fungus Plenodomus tracheiphilus, mainly affecting lemon tree survival in the Mediterranean area. Using a fully compatible host-pathogen interaction, the aim of our work was to retrieve the fungus transcriptome by an RNA seq approach during infection of rough lemon (Citrus jambhiri Lush.) to identify crucial transcripts for pathogenesis establishment and progression. A total of 2438 clusters belonging to P. tracheiphilus were retrieved and classified into the GO and KEGG categories. Transcripts were categorized mainly within the “membrane”, “catalytic activity”, and “primary metabolic process” GO terms. Moreover, most of the transcripts are included in the “ribosome”, “carbon metabolism”, and “oxidative phosphorylation” KEGG categories. By focusing our attention on transcripts with FPKM values higher than the median, we were able to identify four main transcript groups functioning in (a) fungus cell wall remodeling and protection, (b) destroying plant defensive secondary metabolites, (c) optimizing fungus development and pathogenesis, and (d) toxin biosynthesis, thus indicating that a multifaceted strategy to subdue the host was executed. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant–Fungi Interaction: Two-Edged Sword for Plant Growth, Production and Storage)

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15 pages, 3200 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Influences of Serendipita indica and Dictyophorae echinovolvata on the Growth and Fusarium Wilt Disease Resistance of Banana

by Chunzhen Cheng, Fan Liu, Bin Wang, Pengyan Qu, Jiapeng Liu, Yongyan Zhang, Wei Liu, Zheng Tong and Guiming Deng

Biology 2022, 11(3), 393; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/biology11030393 - 02 Mar 2022

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2503

Abstract

Recently, many control methods have been tried and applied in the Fusarium wilt disease control of banana and have achieved definite progresses. In this study, by using ‘Zhongjiao No.3’ and ‘Zhongjiao No.4’ banana seedlings as materials, the effects of Serendipita indica and bamboo fungus (Dictyophorae echinovolvata) culture substrates on the growth and Fusarium wilt disease resistance of banana were investigated. Results showed that the plant height, leaf length, leaf width, root length and root thickness, aboveground part fresh weight, root fresh weight, and relative chlorophyll content and nitrogen content in leaves of banana seedlings colonized with S. indica were all greater than those of non-colonized controls, while these parameters of banana seedlings grown in nutrient soil containing D. echinovolvata culture substrates were significantly suppressed. Both S. indica non-colonized and colonized seedlings cultivated in nutrient containing 1/4 D. echinovolvata culture substrates showed much milder symptoms compared with those cultivated in normal nutrient soil, indicating that the addition of bamboo fungus substrates to the soil can enhance the Fusarium wilt resistance of banana. The results obtained in this study can provide a basis for the application of S. indica and bamboo fungus in the prevention and control of banana Fusarium wilt disease. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant–Fungi Interaction: Two-Edged Sword for Plant Growth, Production and Storage)

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19 pages, 2591 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Soil Rehabilitation Promotes Resilient Microbiome with Enriched Keystone Taxa than Agricultural Infestation in Barren Soils on the Loess Plateau

by Dong Liu, Parag Bhople, Katharina Maria Keiblinger, Baorong Wang, Shaoshan An, Nan Yang, Caspar C. C. Chater and Fuqiang Yu

Biology 2021, 10(12), 1261; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/biology10121261 - 02 Dec 2021

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2021

Abstract

Drylands provide crucial ecosystem and economic services across the globe. In barren drylands, keystone taxa drive microbial structure and functioning in soil environments. In the current study, the Chinese Loess plateau’s agricultural (AL) and twenty-year-old rehabilitated lands (RL) provided a unique opportunity to investigate land-use-mediated effects on barren soil keystone bacterial and fungal taxa. Therefore, soils from eighteen sites were collected for metagenomic sequencing of bacteria specific 16S rRNA and fungi specific ITS2 regions, respectively, and to conduct molecular ecological networks and construct microbial OTU-based correlation matrices. In RL soils we found a more complex bacterial network represented by a higher number of nodes and links, with a link percentage of 77%, and a lower number of nodes and links for OTU-based fungal networks compared to the AL soils. A higher number of keystone taxa was observed in the RL (66) than in the AL (49) soils, and microbial network connectivity was positively influenced by soil total nitrogen and microbial biomass carbon contents. Our results indicate that plant restoration and the reduced human interventions in RL soils could guide the development of a better-connected microbial network and ensure sufficient nutrient circulation in barren soils on the Loess plateau. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant–Fungi Interaction: Two-Edged Sword for Plant Growth, Production and Storage)

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13 pages, 6784 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Fungal Interactions Matter: Tricholoma matsutake Domination Affect Fungal Diversity and Function in Mountain Forest Soils

by Jie Zhou, Heng Gui, Shujiao Yang, Xuefei Yang and Lingling Shi

Biology 2021, 10(10), 1051; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/biology10101051 - 15 Oct 2021

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2138

Abstract

Tricholoma matsutake forms a symbiotic association with coniferous trees, developing mycelial aggregations, called ‘shiro’, which are characterized by distinct chemical and physical properties from nearby forest bulk soil. The fungal diversity living in shiro soil play key roles in nutrient cycles for this economically important mushroom, but have not been profiled across large spatial and environmental gradients. Samples of shiro and non-shiro (nearby bulk soil) were taken from five field sites where sporocarps naturally formed. Phospholipid fatty acids (PLFA) and Illumina MiSeq sequencing were combined to identify fungal biomass and community structure. Matsutake dominated in the shiro, which had a significantly reduced saprotrophic fungi biomass compared to non-shiro soil. Fungal diversity was negatively correlated with the relative abundance of T. matsutake in the shiro soil. The fungal community in the shiro was characterized by similar fungal species composition in most samples regardless of forest types. Matsutake coexisted with a specific fungal community due to competition or nutrient interactions. Oidiodendron was positively correlated with the abundance of T. matsutake, commonly cohabitant in the shiro. In contrast, Helotiales and Mortierella were negatively correlated with T. matsutake, both of which commonly inhabit the non-shiro soil but do not occur in shiro soils. We conclude that T. matsutake generate a dominance effect to shape the fungal community and diversity in shiro soil across distinctive forest types. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant–Fungi Interaction: Two-Edged Sword for Plant Growth, Production and Storage)

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Review

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22 pages, 878 KiB

Open AccessReview

Plant–Fungi Interactions: Where It Goes?

by A. K. Hasith Priyashantha, Dong-Qin Dai, Darbhe J. Bhat, Steven L. Stephenson, Itthayakorn Promputtha, Prashant Kaushik, Saowaluck Tibpromma and Samantha C. Karunarathna

Biology 2023, 12(6), 809; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/biology12060809 - 02 Jun 2023

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 4679

Abstract

Fungi live different lifestyles—including pathogenic and symbiotic—by interacting with living plants. Recently, there has been a substantial increase in the study of phytopathogenic fungi and their interactions with plants. Symbiotic relationships with plants appear to be lagging behind, although progressive. Phytopathogenic fungi cause diseases in plants and put pressure on survival. Plants fight back against such pathogens through complicated self-defense mechanisms. However, phytopathogenic fungi develop virulent responses to overcome plant defense reactions, thus continuing their deteriorative impacts. Symbiotic relationships positively influence both plants and fungi. More interestingly, they also help plants protect themselves from pathogens. In light of the nonstop discovery of novel fungi and their strains, it is imperative to pay more attention to plant–fungi interactions. Both plants and fungi are responsive to environmental changes, therefore construction of their interaction effects has emerged as a new field of study. In this review, we first attempt to highlight the evolutionary aspect of plant–fungi interactions, then the mechanism of plants to avoid the negative impact of pathogenic fungi, and fungal strategies to overcome the plant defensive responses once they have been invaded, and finally the changes of such interactions under the different environmental conditions. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant–Fungi Interaction: Two-Edged Sword for Plant Growth, Production and Storage)

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