Document Type : Research Paper - Biotic and Abiotic Stress
Authors
- Parvin Bagherifar 1
- Seyed Mohammad Waez-Mousavi 2
- Mohammad Hossein Arzanesh 3
- Masoud Tohidfar 4
- Hojjatollah Rabbani Nasab 5
1 Department of Silviculture and Forest Ecology, Faculty of Forest Sciences, Gorgan University of Agriculture Sciences and Natural Resource
2 Department of Silviculture and Forest Ecology, Faculty of Forest Sciences, Gorgan University of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources
3 Soil Department, Agricultural and Natural Resources Research and Education Center of Golestan, Agricultural Research, Education and Extension Organization
4 Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Life Sciences & Biotechnology, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran.
5 Plant Protection Research Department, Agricultural and Natural Resources Research and Education Center of Golestan, Agricultural Research, Education and Extension Organization
Abstract
Introduction
Water stress is a global challenge that adversely affects society, the economy, and the environment. The presence of ectomycorrhizal fungi can increase the ability of plants to deal with these stresses through physiological and biochemical mechanisms. However, the activities of antioxidant enzymes in ectomycorrhizal symbiosis, especially truffle fungi, are not fully understood. This study investigated the effect of the ectomycorrhizal fungus of black summer truffle (Tuber aestivum Vittad.) on the activity of antioxidant enzymes (catalase and peroxidase) in the leaves of hazelnut (Corylus avellana L.) and ginkgo (Corylus avellana L.) plants under water stress conditions.
Materials and Methods
This study was conducted from 2020 to 2022 at Gorgan University of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources using a completely randomized design. The powdered inoculation material was suspended with distilled water. One gram of this material with 108 spores was added to the soil around the seedlings in three stages. Coexistence evaluation was done using visual methods and the intersection of grid lines. Water stress was applied by stopping irrigation until the inoculated seedlings reached the wilting point, while the control group was fully irrigated during the experiment. After applying water stress, the activity of antioxidant enzymes was measured using a spectrophotometer to investigate mushroom inoculation's effect on water stress resistance.
Results and Discussion
The results indicated that ginkgo seedlings could tolerate water stress for 14 days, while hazelnut seedlings managed to withstand these conditions for only 13 days. Visual evaluations estimated the symbiosis percentage to be 69% for hazelnuts and 63% for ginkgo. The grid line crossing method calculated these percentages as 58% for hazelnuts and 55% for ginkgo. Additionally, there was a significant difference at the 99% confidence level in the activities of catalase and peroxidase enzymes between the inoculated and control seedlings for both hazelnut and ginkgo species. The findings of this study offer valuable insights into how hazelnut and ginkgo plants respond to water stress when inoculated with T. aestivum. This information can enhance these plants' resistance to challenging conditions and improve management strategies for their cultivation. The results provide a foundation for future research to optimize plant growth and development under environmental stress. Furthermore, hazelnuts and ginkgo trees are promising host plants for cultivating truffle mushrooms under Iran's field and greenhouse conditions. Previous studies have established hazelnuts as a versatile species supporting truffle growth. In contrast, the Ginkgo species requires extensive research and a more extended evaluation before being recommended as potential truffle hosts. These findings pave the way for future research in truffle cultivation and optimizing plant resource use, contributing to the development of innovative solutions in this field.
Conclusion
The increased activity of antioxidant enzymes stimulated by the ectomycorrhizal fungus T. aestivum suggests that this fungus could be an effective biological tool for challenging environments, including those with limited water availability. These findings demonstrate the plants' capability to withstand water stress, indicating that the fungus-induced changes can lead to positive outcomes under stressful conditions. This study provides a strong foundation for understanding how T. aestivum reacts to water stress. Furthermore, additional research is urgently needed to verify these findings on a larger scale, mainly using molecular biology techniques such as enzyme profiling.
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