title: Host plant growth promotion and cadmium detoxification in Solanum nigrum, mediated by endophytic fungi.
abstract: Current investigation conducted to evaluate the associated fungal endophyte interactions of a Cd hyper-accumulator Solanum nigrum Korean ecotype under varying concentrations of Cd. Two indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) producing fungal strains, RSF-4L and RSF-6L, isolated from the leaves of S. nigrum, were initially screened for Cd tolerance and accumulation potential. In terms of dry biomass production, the strain RSF-6L showed higher tolerance and accumulation capacity for Cd toxicity in comparison to RSF-4L. Therefore, RSF-6L was applied in vivo to S. nigrum and grown for six weeks under Cd concentrations of 0, 10, and 30mgKg-1of dry sand. The effect of fungal inoculation assessed by plant physiological responses, endogenous biochemical regulations, and Cd profile in different tissues. Significant increase were observed in plant growth attributes such as shoot length, root length, dry biomass, leaf area, and chlorophyll contents in inoculated RSF-6L plants in comparison to non-inoculated plants with or without Cd contamination. RSF-6L inoculation decreased uptake of Cd in roots and above ground parts, as evidenced by a low bio-concentration factor (BCF) and improved tolerance index (TI). However, Cd concentration in the leaves remained the same for inoculated and non-inoculated plants under Cd spiking. Fungal inoculation protected the host plants, as evidenced by low peroxidase (POD) and polyphenol peroxidase (PPO) activities and high catalase (CAT) activity. Application of appropriate fungal inoculation that can improve tolerance mechanisms of hyper-accumulators and reduce Cd uptake can be recommended for phyto-stabilisation/immobilisation of heavy metals in crop fields.
authors.affiliation: School of Applied Biosciences, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Kyungpook National University, Daegu 41566, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Abdur Rahim
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Khan
authors.affiliation: School of Applied Biosciences, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Kyungpook National University, Daegu 41566, Republic of Korea; Institute of Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering, The University of Agriculture, Peshawar, Pakistan.
authors.forename: Ihsan
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Ullah
authors.affiliation: School of Applied Biosciences, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Kyungpook National University, Daegu 41566, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Muhammad
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Waqas
authors.affiliation: School of Applied Biosciences, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Kyungpook National University, Daegu 41566, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Gun-Seok
authors.initials: GS
authors.lastname: Park
authors.affiliation: UoN Chair of Oman's Medicinal Plants & Marine Natural Products, University of Nizwa, 616 Nizwa, Oman.
authors.forename: Abdul Latif
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Khan
authors.affiliation: School of Applied Biosciences, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Kyungpook National University, Daegu 41566, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Sung-Jun
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Hong
authors.affiliation: Department of Botany, University of Peshawar, Peshawar, Pakistan.
authors.forename: Rehman
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ullah
authors.affiliation: School of Applied Biosciences, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Kyungpook National University, Daegu 41566, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Byung Kwon
authors.initials: BK
authors.lastname: Jung
authors.affiliation: School of Applied Biosciences, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Kyungpook National University, Daegu 41566, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Chang Eon
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Park
authors.affiliation: Department of Plant Sciences, Kohat University of Science and Technology (KUST), Kohat 26000, Pakistan.
authors.forename: Shafiq
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ur-Rehman
authors.affiliation: School of Applied Biosciences, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Kyungpook National University, Daegu 41566, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: In-Jung
authors.initials: IJ
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: School of Applied Biosciences, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Kyungpook National University, Daegu 41566, Republic of Korea. Electronic address: jhshin@knu.ac.kr.
authors.forename: Jae-Ho
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Shin
mesh_terms: D001673:Biodegradation, Environmental; D002104:Cadmium / Q000378:metabolism*; D060026:Endophytes / Q000502:physiology*; D005658:Fungi / Q000502:physiology*; D008658:Inactivation, Metabolic; D012989:Soil Pollutants / Q000378:metabolism*; D032324:Solanum nigrum / Q000187:drug effects / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000382:microbiology*
chemical_list: D012989:Soil Pollutants; D002104:Cadmium
keywords: Cd-hyperaccumulator; Endophytic fungi; Phytoremediation; Solanum nigrum