title: Deciphering endophyte behaviour: the link between endophyte biology and efficacious biological control agents.
abstract: Endophytes associate with the majority of plant species found in natural and managed ecosystems. They are regarded as extremely important plant partners that provide improved stress tolerance to the host compared with plants that lack this symbiosis. Fossil records of endophytes date back more than 400 million years, implicating these microorganisms in host plant adaptation to habitat transitions. However, it is only recently that endophytes, and their bioactive products, have received meaningful attention from the scientific community. The benefits some endophytes can confer on their hosts include plant growth promotion and survival through the inhibition of pathogenic microorganisms and invertebrate pests, the removal of soil contaminants, improved tolerance of low fertility soils, and increased tolerance of extreme temperatures and low water availability. Endophytes are extremely diverse and can exhibit many different biological behaviours. Not all endophyte technologies have been successfully commercialised. Of interest in the development of the next generation of plant protection products is how much of this is due to the biology of the particular endophytic microorganism. In this review, we highlight selected case studies of endophytes and discuss their lifestyles and behavioural traits, and discuss how these factors contribute towards their effectiveness as biological control agents.
authors.affiliation: AgResearch Limited, Grasslands Research Centre, Private Bag 11008, Palmerston North 4442, New Zealand stuart.card@agresearch.co.nz.
authors.forename: Stuart
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Card
authors.affiliation: AgResearch Limited, Grasslands Research Centre, Private Bag 11008, Palmerston North 4442, New Zealand.
authors.forename: Linda
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Johnson
authors.affiliation: AgResearch Limited, Grasslands Research Centre, Private Bag 11008, Palmerston North 4442, New Zealand.
authors.forename: Suliana
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Teasdale
authors.affiliation: Grasslanz Technology Limited, Private Bag 11008, Palmerston North 4442, New Zealand.
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Caradus
mesh_terms: D000222:Adaptation, Physiological; D001419:Bacteria / Q000254:growth & development*; D018407:Bacterial Physiological Phenomena; D061046:Biological Control Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D017753:Ecosystem; D060026:Endophytes / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000502:physiology; D005658:Fungi / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000502:physiology; D063245:Plant Development; D010944:Plants / Q000382:microbiology*; D012987:Soil; D012988:Soil Microbiology; D013559:Symbiosis / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D061046:Biological Control Agents; D012987:Soil
keywords: Plant–microbe interactions; life cycle; stress tolerance; symbiosis