Location: Vegetable Crops Research
Project Number: 5090-21220-007-034-S
Project Type: Non-Assistance Cooperative Agreement
Start Date: Jun 1, 2024
End Date: May 31, 2026
Objective:
1) Isolation, identification, and morphological characterization of fungal isolates from cranberry roots.
2) Co-cultivation of the beneficial fungi or ericoid mycorrhizae and Cranberry roots to study symbiosis or fungal-mediated growth promotion and physiological status of the plant.
3) Gene expression study of Cranberry plant colonized with different ericoid mycorrhizal/fungal species.
Approach:
Objective 1:
We will collect roots and rhizosphere samples of cranberry cultivars from different field locations and fungal species will be isolated on culture media. Each fungal species will be identified using DNA sequencing using fungal-specific primers. Ericoid mycorrhizae and beneficial endophytes will be identified by matching the DNA sequences to available database. Morphological features will be determined by the fungal growth appearance on culture media and microscopic evaluation.
Objective 2:
Cranberry plants will be colonized with selected mycorrhizal/endophyte species in both in vitro and in greenhouse condition. The colonization level in plant roots will be evaluated under the high magnification microscope. Fresh and dry biomass of the colonized and non-colonized plants (root and shoot) will be measured. Other growth parameters such as leaf area, chlorophyll, carotenoids content, nutrient (N, P etc.) content will be determined. Physiological parameters will be assessed by measuring photosynthesis, stomatal conductance, transpiration, and water use efficiency using portable gas analyzer (PP system).
Objective 3:
To identify the genes involved in plant growth promotion and development in response to ericoid mycorrhizae/beneficial endophytes, Cranberry plants will be co-cultivated in vitro condition for different time duration. Root samples will be collected and processed for transcriptome profiling. Differential gene expression and functional pathways in colonized and non-colonized roots will be analyzed using molecular and bioinformatics tools.
Jyostna Mura (ARS PI) and Leela Uppala (University of Massachusetts Amherst, Assistant Professor)
