Influence of Endophytic Mycoflora of Xerophytes on Drought Resistance of Pepper (Capsicum Annum L.)
Abstract
Because of significant increase of temperature, decrease in seasonal precipitations and hard and frequent droughts on the background of climate global change the attenuation of the yield of many agricultural crops is expected. Different approaches are used to raise plant’sdrought resistance. Applying plants endophytes is one of the modern ways of problem solwing. The purpose of the presented work was to study the effect of spraying the pepper plant (Capsicum annum L.) with consortia of endophytic microscopic fungi of wild xerophytes on experimental plant’sdrought resistance and productivity. Ten different species of xerophytes served as a source of endophytic fungi: Artemisia lerchiana Weber ex Stechm., Artemisia scoparia Waldst. &Kit., Erigeron canadensis L. (Conyza canadensis), Lactuca serriola L., Setaria viridis (L.) P. Beauv., Ballota nigra L., Polygonum aviculare L., Tribulus terrestris L., Zygophillum fabago L.,and Chenopodium album L. Isolation of microscopic fungi was performed following the standard scheme, i.e. the primary sowings and later – the pure cultures were obtained. The efficiency of the fungal biopreparation was evaluated by the biometrical and biochemical indices of plants. For this purpose the habitus of both control and sptayed plants was observed and the height was measured; as well as the content of plastid pigments and ascorbic acid in leaves was studied. According to experimental results is clear that microscopic fungi alleviated the stress effect on experimental plants and enhanced the drought resistance of photosynthetic apparatus. Biopreparations stimulated the growth and development of test-plants as well,and accelerated the flowering onset.
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Introduction
Significant increase of temperature, decrease in seasonal precipitations and hard and frequent droughts are expectable on the background of climate change in nearest decades. Probability of plants dying out because of hard stresses caused by such conditions is very high. Attenuation of the yield of many agricultural crops is expected as well (Rezaei et al, 2023). Different approaches are used by scientists to raise plant’sdrought resistance (Yasha et al., 2017). One of the modern ways of the problem solwing is applying of plant endophytes (Kim et al., 2012).
It is well known that a big part of the plant’smicrobiome is occupied by endophytic fungi, which perform their life cycle inside the plant without any apparent damage to the host (Grabka et al., 2022). Applying the biopotential of endophytic fungi to increase plant drought resistance and productivity is very popular today. Many-sided and intensive investigations of the abilities of endophytic mycobiota have been done during the last peiod (Kour et al., 2019).
To study the effect of the consortium created from the endophytic microscopic fungi, isolated from wild xerophytes, on the drought resistance and productivity of pepper plant (Capsicum annum L.) was the purpose of the presented work.
Conclusion
1. Spraying pepper sprouts with biopreparations made from strains of microscopic fungi isolated from drought-resistant plants enhanced the drought stress resistance of experimental plants’ photosynthetic apparatus. 2. Biopreparations stimulated the growth and development of test-plants and accelerated the onset of flowering.