Aspergillus terreus DZ-Q1-1 enhances maize salt tolerance and growth via transcriptional reprogramming of hormone signaling, sphingolipid metabolism, and ion homeostasis
Salt stress is a key abiotic factor restricting global crop growth and yield, and saline-alkali soil poses a serious threat to agricultural production and food security. Salt-tolerant endophytic fungi, as an important functional group in plant-microbe symbiotic systems, have significant potential for enhancing plant stress resistance. In this study, the salt-tolerant endophytic fungus Aspergillus terreus DZ-Q1-1, isolated from the roots of the halophyte Sesuvium portulacastrum, was used as the test strain. Through co-cultivation with maize seedlings, the regulatory effects and molecular mechanisms of this fungus on maize growth and salt tolerance were systematically investigated.This study confirms that DZ-Q1-1 enhances maize salt tolerance and promotes growth through the synergistic effects of physiological regulation and molecular reprogramming. It provides a high-quality microbial resource for the improvement of saline-alkali land and offers a theoretical basis for understanding the stress-resistant symbiotic mechanisms between plants and endophytic fungi.