Browsing by Author "Baptista, Joana Sofia Pires"
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- Combinatorial effect of Rhizophagus irregularis and Trichoderma harzianum on the Silicon accumulation in wheat and maize, and the improvement of wheat resistance against Zymoseptoria triticPublication . Baptista, Joana Sofia Pires; Rodrigues, Paula; Declerck, StephanWheat and maize are two of the most important crops in the world, however, pathogen transmission threatens global cereal supply. Zymoseptoria tritici causes septoria tritici blotch (STB), which inflicts the most yield-reducing disease on wheat production. One of the most promising solutions to control this disease is the use of specialized plant-beneficial microbes like arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and Trichoderma spp. Also, silicon (Si) has been considered to induce protection against pest infection. The present study aimed at studying the effect of the AMF Rhizophagus irregularis MUCL 43194, alone or combined with Trichoderma harzianum MUCL 29707, to improve plant growth and Si uptake in wheat and maize plants, and the impact of the three factors to control STB on durum wheat, thus working as biostimulants. For this, two experiments were developed. In the first, after 5 weeks of pre-colonization with Rhizophagus irregularis in trays, the wheat and maize plants were transferred to individual pots with the respective treatments (with addition of Si and presence of T. harzianum) and harvested 30 and 45 days after transfer. The second experiment was as previously described, but with the inoculation of the pathogen Z. tritici on the leaves 30 days after the moment of plant transfer. The parameters analyzed were fresh and dry weight of the aerial part and roots, the Si concentration in the leaves and the Si content in the plant, the percentage of AMF colonization and, for the second experiment only, the disease severity. Results showed that, in the first experiment, for maize plants the interaction between AMF and T. harzianum was negative, since it reduced the growth and biomass of maize plants and did not impact the Si uptake and accumulation. AMF treatment alone was the best treatment for improving the growth and colonization of maize plants. For wheat plants, in root growth and biomass, AMF and T. harzianum had a positive interaction. However, the same was not observed for the Si accumulation and uptake. So, for the growth and biomass of wheat roots, the use of AMF or both fungi is recommended, whereas the use of Si is rejected. For improved Si accumulation and uptake, the use of this mineral alone is a better fit. Regarding the second experiment, the use of microorganisms and Si did not prove to increase the tolerance against the disease efficiently. Further studies are necessary to elucidate the interaction between the two fungi in these plants by applying Si.