title: Congolese Rhizospheric Soils as a Rich Source of New Plant Growth-Promoting EndophyticPiriformosporaIsolates.
abstract: In the last decade, there has been an increasing focus on the implementation of plant growth-promoting (PGP) organisms as a sustainable option to compensate for poor soil fertility conditions in developing countries. Trap systems were used in an effort to isolate PGP fungi from rhizospheric soil samples collected in the region around Kisangani in the Democratic Republic of Congo. With sudangrass as a host, a highly conducive environment was created for sebacinalean chlamydospore formation inside the plant roots resulting in a collection of 51 axenically cultured isolates of the elusive genusPiriformospora(recently transferred to the genusSerendipita). Based on morphological data, ISSR fingerprinting profiles and marker gene sequences, we propose that these isolates together withPiriformospora williamsiiconstitute a species complex designatedPiriformospora(=Serendipita) 'williamsii.' A selection of isolates strongly promoted plant growth ofin vitroinoculatedArabidopsisseedlings, which was evidenced by an increase in shoot fresh weight and a strong stimulation of lateral root formation. This isolate collection provides unprecedented opportunities for fundamental as well as translational research on the Serendipitaceae, a family of fungal endophytes in full expansion.
authors.affiliation: Department of Applied Biosciences, Ghent University Ghent, Belgium.
authors.forename: Jolien
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Venneman
authors.affiliation: Department of Applied Biosciences, Ghent University Ghent, Belgium.
authors.forename: Kris
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Audenaert
authors.affiliation: Department of Applied Biosciences, Ghent University Ghent, Belgium.
authors.forename: Jan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Verwaeren
authors.affiliation: Department of Applied Biosciences, Ghent University Ghent, Belgium.
authors.forename: Geert
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Baert
authors.affiliation: Isotope Bioscience Laboratory-ISOFYS, Ghent University Ghent, Belgium.
authors.forename: Pascal
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Boeckx
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Science and Agriculture, Kisangani University Kisangani, Congo.
authors.forename: Adrien M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Moango
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Science and Agriculture, Kisangani University Kisangani, Congo.
authors.forename: Benoît D
authors.initials: BD
authors.lastname: Dhed'a
authors.affiliation: Department of Applied Biosciences, Ghent University Ghent, Belgium.
authors.forename: Danny
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Vereecke
authors.affiliation: Department of Applied Biosciences, Ghent University Ghent, Belgium.
authors.forename: Geert
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Haesaert
keywords: Sebacinales; TEF1α gene; integrated soil fertility management; plant growth-promoting tropical endophytes; species complex