| Title: | "A Beneficial Plant-Associated Fungus Shifts the Balance toward Plant Growth over Resistance, Increasing Cucumber Tolerance to Root Herbivory" |
| Author(s): | Rivera-Vega LJ; Grunseich JM; Aguirre NM; Valencia CU; Sword GA; Helms AM; |
| Address: | "Department of Biological Sciences, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA 24060, USA. Department of Entomology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA. Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Program, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA" |
| ISSN/ISBN: | 2223-7747 (Print) 2223-7747 (Electronic) 2223-7747 (Linking) |
| Abstract: | "Plants allocate their limited resources toward different physiological processes, dynamically adjusting their resource allocation in response to environmental changes. How beneficial plant-associated microbes influence this allocation is a topic that continues to interest plant biologists. In this study, we examined the effect of a beneficial fungus, Phialemonium inflatum, on investment in growth and anti-herbivore resistance traits in cucumber plants (Cucumis sativus). We inoculated cucumber seeds with P. inflatum spores and measured several growth parameters, including germination rate, above and belowground biomass, and number of flowers. We also examined plant resistance to adult and larval striped cucumber beetles (Acalymma vitattum), and quantified levels of defense hormones in leaves and roots. Our results indicate that P. inflatum strongly enhances cucumber plant growth and reproductive potential. Although fungus treatment did not improve plant resistance to cucumber beetles, inoculated plants were more tolerant to root herbivory, experiencing less biomass reduction. Together, these findings document how a beneficial plant-associated fungus shifts plant investment in growth over herbivore resistance, highlighting the importance of microbes in mediating plant-herbivore interactions. These findings also have important implications for agricultural systems, where beneficial microbes are often introduced or managed to promote plant growth or enhance resistance" |
| Keywords: | Acalymma vitattum Cucumis sativus growth-defense tradeoff growth-differentiation balance induced systemic resistance plant-growth promoting fungus; |
| Notes: | "PubMed-not-MEDLINERivera-Vega, Loren J Grunseich, John M Aguirre, Natalie M Valencia, Cesar U Sword, Gregory A Helms, Anjel M eng Switzerland 2022/02/16 Plants (Basel). 2022 Jan 21; 11(3):282. doi: 10.3390/plants11030282" |
