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ARS Home » Pacific West Area » Corvallis, Oregon » Forage Seed and Cereal Research Unit » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #322453
Title: Isolation and identification of fungal endophytes from grasses on the Oregon coast

Author
item Martin, Ruth
item Dombrowski, James

Submitted to: American Journal of Plant Sciences
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 12/13/2015
Publication Date: 12/16/2015
Citation: Martin, R.C., Dombrowski, J.E. 2015. Isolation and identification of fungal endophytes from grasses on the Oregon coast. American Journal of Plant Sciences. 6:3216-3230.

Interpretive Summary: Endophytes have been shown to improve abiotic and biotic stress response in plants. Grasses growing along the Oregon coast are exposed to harsh conditions and may have fungal endophytes living in their tissues to help them to survive and grow under these conditions. Fungal endophytes were isolated from grasses along the coast. These endophytes have the potential to improve the adaptability of grasses and other crop plants to grow in diverse environments where they are subjected to multiple biotic and abiotic stresses.

Technical Abstract: Fungal endophytes have been shown to improve abiotic and biotic stress response in plants. Grasses growing along the Oregon coast are exposed to harsh conditions and may harbor endophytes that enable them to survive and grow under these conditions. Endophytic fungi were isolated from thirty-four grass plants representing eight different grass species at four different locations along the Oregon coast. The ITS-1, 5.8S, and ITS-2 regions of each isolate were amplified, sequenced, and used to perform a BLAST search against the nucleotide data base collection at National Center for Biotechnology Information. One-hundred-eleven different fungal isolates were classified into thirty-nine genera with two isolates that did not recover a match greater than 95%. These endophytes have the potential to improve the adaptability of grasses and other crop plants to grow in diverse environments where they are subjected to multiple biotic and abiotic stresses.