Abstract
While the importance of beneficial soil microorganisms for soil health and crop performance has been receiving ever-increasing attention, Serendipita indica has been widely studied as a fungal root endophyte with significant potential for increasing the stress tolerance of host plants. Boron (B) toxicity as an adverse soil condition is particularly prevalent in arid and semi-arid regions and threatens crop production. Studies on S. indica-wheat symbiosis are limited, and effects of S. indica on crops have never been reported in the context of B toxicity. Here, two pot experiments were conducted under greenhouse conditions to investigate the effects of S. indica on the growth and yield parameters of bread (Triticum aestivum) and durum wheat (Triticum durum) grown at different levels of B toxicity in native vs. sterilized soil, and parameters related to root colonization, membrane damage, oxidative stress, chlorophyll, and mineral nutrition were measured to elucidate the physiological mechanisms of damage and benefit. Boron toxicity decreased early vegetative growth and grain yield, but it did not affect the straw dry weight of mature plants, whereas S. indica significantly enhanced the vegetative growth, straw dry weight, and the grain number of both wheat species. Membrane damage as demonstrated by increased lipid peroxidation and relative electrolyte leakage was caused by B toxicity and alleviated by S. indica. The benefits provided by S. indica could not be attributed to any significant changes in tissue concentrations of B or other minerals such as phosphorus. Soil sterilization generally improved plant performance but it did not consistently strengthen or weaken the effects of S. indica. The presented results suggest that S. indica may be used as an effective microbial inoculant to enhance wheat growth under adverse soil conditions such as B toxicity through mechanisms that are possibly unrelated to mineral homeostasis.
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Claims 10
Claim · model-written summary
Boron toxicity reduced early vegetative growth and grain yield.
- Taxon
- bread (Triticum aestivum) and durum wheat (Triticum durum)
Triticum aestivum
Triticum turgidum subsp. durume1 - Treatment
- Boron toxicitye0
- Outcome
- early vegetative growth and grain yielde0
- Direction
- decreasede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Boron toxicity decreased early vegetative growth and grain yield”
e1“bread (Triticum aestivum) and durum wheat (Triticum durum)”
Claim · model-written summary
Boron toxicity did not affect mature straw dry weight.
- Taxon
- bread (Triticum aestivum) and durum wheat (Triticum durum)Triticum aestivumTriticum turgidum subsp. durume2
- Organ / stage
- mature plantse0
- Treatment
- Boron toxicitye1
- Outcome
- straw dry weighte0
- Direction
- did not affecte0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“it did not affect the straw dry weight of mature plants”
e1“Boron toxicity decreased early vegetative growth and grain yield”
e2“bread (Triticum aestivum) and durum wheat (Triticum durum)”
Claim · model-written summary
S. indica significantly increased vegetative growth, straw dry weight and grain number in both wheat species.
- Taxon
- bread (Triticum aestivum) and durum wheat (Triticum durum)Triticum aestivumTriticum turgidum subsp. durume1
- Treatment
- S. indicae0
- Interactor
- Serendipita indicaSerendipita indicae2symbiont
- Outcome
- vegetative growth, straw dry weight, and the grain numbere0
- Direction
- enhancede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“S. indica significantly enhanced the vegetative growth, straw dry weight, and the grain number of both wheat species”
e1“bread (Triticum aestivum) and durum wheat (Triticum durum)”
e2“Serendipita indica has been widely studied as a fungal root endophyte”
Claim · model-written summary
Boron toxicity increased lipid peroxidation and relative electrolyte leakage.
- Taxon
- bread (Triticum aestivum) and durum wheat (Triticum durum)Triticum aestivumTriticum turgidum subsp. durume1
- Treatment
- B toxicitye0
- Outcome
- lipid peroxidation and relative electrolyte leakagee0
- Direction
- increasede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Membrane damage as demonstrated by increased lipid peroxidation and relative electrolyte leakage was caused by B toxicity”
e1“bread (Triticum aestivum) and durum wheat (Triticum durum)”
Claim · model-written summary
S. indica alleviated membrane damage.
- Taxon
- bread (Triticum aestivum) and durum wheat (Triticum durum)Triticum aestivumTriticum turgidum subsp. durume1
- Treatment
- S. indicae0
- Interactor
- Serendipita indicaSerendipita indicae2symbiont
- Outcome
- Membrane damagee0
- Direction
- alleviatede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Membrane damage as demonstrated by increased lipid peroxidation and relative electrolyte leakage was caused by B toxicity and alleviated by S. indica”
e1“bread (Triticum aestivum) and durum wheat (Triticum durum)”
e2“Serendipita indica has been widely studied as a fungal root endophyte”
Claim · model-written summary
S. indica benefits were not associated with significant changes in tissue boron or other mineral concentrations.
- Taxon
- bread (Triticum aestivum) and durum wheat (Triticum durum)Triticum aestivumTriticum turgidum subsp. durume1
- Interactor
- Serendipita indicaSerendipita indicae2symbiont
- Outcome
- tissue concentrations of B or other minerals such as phosphoruse0
Not reportedDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“The benefits provided by S. indica could not be attributed to any significant changes in tissue concentrations of B or other minerals such as phosphorus”
e1“bread (Triticum aestivum) and durum wheat (Triticum durum)”
e2“Serendipita indica has been widely studied as a fungal root endophyte”
Claim · model-written summary
Soil sterilization generally improved wheat performance.
- Taxon
- bread (Triticum aestivum) and durum wheat (Triticum durum)Triticum aestivumTriticum turgidum subsp. durume1
- Treatment
- Soil sterilizatione0
- Outcome
- plant performancee0
- Direction
- improvede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Soil sterilization generally improved plant performance”
e1“bread (Triticum aestivum) and durum wheat (Triticum durum)”
Claim · model-written summary
Soil sterilization did not consistently change effects of S. indica.
- Taxon
- bread (Triticum aestivum) and durum wheat (Triticum durum)Triticum aestivumTriticum turgidum subsp. durume2
- Treatment
- Soil sterilizatione1
- Interactor
- Serendipita indicaSerendipita indicae3symbiont
- Outcome
- effects of S. indicae0
- Direction
- did not consistently strengthen or weakene0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“it did not consistently strengthen or weaken the effects of S. indica”
e1“Soil sterilization generally improved plant performance”
e2“bread (Triticum aestivum) and durum wheat (Triticum durum)”
e3“Serendipita indica has been widely studied as a fungal root endophyte”
Claim · model-written summary
The authors suggest S. indica as a microbial inoculant to improve wheat growth under adverse soil conditions.
- Taxon
- bread (Triticum aestivum) and durum wheat (Triticum durum)Triticum aestivumTriticum turgidum subsp. durume1
- Treatment
- S. indicae0
- Interactor
- Serendipita indicaSerendipita indicae2symbiont
- Outcome
- enhance wheat growth under adverse soil conditionse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“S. indica may be used as an effective microbial inoculant to enhance wheat growth under adverse soil conditions such as B toxicity”
e1“bread (Triticum aestivum) and durum wheat (Triticum durum)”
e2“Serendipita indica has been widely studied as a fungal root endophyte”
Claim · model-written summary
The authors suggest S. indica benefits may be unrelated to mineral homeostasis.
- Taxon
- bread (Triticum aestivum) and durum wheat (Triticum durum)Triticum aestivumTriticum turgidum subsp. durume2
- Interactor
- Serendipita indicaSerendipita indicae3symbiont
- Outcome
- enhance wheat growthe1
- Qualifier
- possibly unrelated to mineral homeostasise0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“through mechanisms that are possibly unrelated to mineral homeostasis”
e1“S. indica may be used as an effective microbial inoculant to enhance wheat growth under adverse soil conditions such as B toxicity”
e2“bread (Triticum aestivum) and durum wheat (Triticum durum)”
e3“Serendipita indica has been widely studied as a fungal root endophyte”
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8 of 10 groups shown: named compounds and organisms first, then groups whose results differ (checked claim by claim), then those with positive and negative results, then the smaller groups.
Claims are grouped by organism, treatment and what was measured or targeted. A paper counts as positive when any of its claims in the group is positive.