title: A morel improved growth and suppressed Fusarium infection in sweet corn.
abstract: A post-fire morel collected from Populus simonii stands in Mt. Qingling was identified as Morchella crassipes Mes-20 by using nuclear ribosomal DNA internal transcribed spacer phylogeny. It was inoculated into sweet corn to observe colonized roots in purified culture and in greenhouse experiments. The elongation and maturation zones of sweet corn were remarkably colonized at the cortex intercellular and intracellular cells, vessel cells, and around the Casparian strip, forming ectendomycorrhiza-like structures. Colonization was also observed in the zone of cell division proximal to the root cap. Greenhouse assays with sweet corn showed that this morel stimulated the development of the root system and significantly increased the dry root biomass. M. crassipes also significantly reduced the incidence of Fusarium verticillioides in the kernels of mature ears when inoculated into young ears before Fusarium inoculation and prevented Fusarium infection in corn ears compared with that of the control in the greenhouse. When grown under axenic conditions, M. crassipes produced the phytohormones abscisic acid, indole-3-acetic acid, and salicylic acid. The benefits to plants elicited by M. crassipes may result from these phytohormones which may improve the drought resistance, biomass growth and resistance to Fusarium.
authors.affiliation: College of Forestry, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, 712100, Shaanxi, China.
authors.forename: Dan
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.affiliation: College of Forestry, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, 712100, Shaanxi, China.
authors.forename: Fangfang
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Bu
authors.affiliation: College of Forestry, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, 712100, Shaanxi, China.
authors.forename: Jiaojiao
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hou
authors.affiliation: College of Forestry, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, 712100, Shaanxi, China.
authors.forename: Yongxiang
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kang
authors.affiliation: College of Forestry, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, 712100, Shaanxi, China. yuzhongdong001@nwsuaf.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Zhongdong
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Yu
mesh_terms: D000040:Abscisic Acid / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology; D018533:Biomass; D060467:Disease Resistance; D005670:Fusarium / Q000502:physiology; D007210:Indoleacetic Acids / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology; D010935:Plant Diseases / Q000517:prevention & control*; D010937:Plant Growth Regulators / Q000494:pharmacology*; D018517:Plant Roots / Q000254:growth & development / Q000382:microbiology; D032107:Populus / Q000382:microbiology; D004718:Saccharomycetales / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000502:physiology*; D020156:Salicylic Acid / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology; D003313:Zea mays / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000382:microbiology
chemical_list: D007210:Indoleacetic Acids; D010937:Plant Growth Regulators; C030737:indoleacetic acid; D000040:Abscisic Acid; D020156:Salicylic Acid
keywords: Fusarium supression; Increased plant growth; Morchella crassipes; Phytohormones; Sweet corn