AgResearch
Browse
- No file added yet -

Antagonism to plant pathogens by Epichloë fungal endophytes: a review

Download (420.15 kB)
journal contribution
posted on 2023-05-10, 07:37 authored by Stuart CardStuart Card, Daniel Bastías, John CaradusJohn Caradus
Epichloë is a genus of filamentous fungal endophytes that has co-evolved with cool-season grasses with which they form long-term, symbiotic associations. The most agriculturally important associations for pasture persistence for grazing livestock are those between asexual vertically transmitted Epichloë strains and the pasture species, perennial ryegrass, and tall fescue. The fungus confers additional traits to their host grasses including invertebrate pest deterrence and drought tolerance. Selected strains of these mutualistic endophytes have been developed into highly efficacious biocontrol products and are widely utilized within the Americas, Australia, and New Zealand for pasture persistence. Less publicized is the antagonism Epichloë endophytes display towards multiple species of saprophytic and pathogenic microbes. This opinion piece will review the current literature on antimicrobial properties exhibited by this genus of endophyte and discuss the reasons why this trait has historically remained a research curiosity rather than a trait of commercial significance.

History

Rights statement

© This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited

Language

  • English

Does this contain Māori information or data?

  • No

Publisher

MDPI

Journal title

Plants

ISSN

2223-7747

Citation

Card, S. D., Bastías, D. A., & Caradus, J. R. (2021). Antagonism to plant pathogens by Epichloë fungal endophytes: a review. Plants, 10(10), 1997. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants10101997

Usage metrics

    Exports

    RefWorks
    BibTeX
    Ref. manager
    Endnote
    DataCite
    NLM
    DC