Characterization and biocontrol efficacy of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi from wheat roots against root rot caused by Fusarium culmorum

Abdullah Abdulkareem Hassan, Joan Yaseen Ismael

Abstract


Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) play a crucial role in enhancing plant growth and resistance to soil-borne pathogens. In this study, five AMF species were isolated based on spore morphology and identified through ITS sequencing as Acaulospora brasiliensis, Entrophospora claroidea, Funneliformis mosseae, Oehlia diaphana, and Rhizophagus intraradices. The isolates were submitted to GenBank under accession numbers PP329939.1, PP331806.1, PP329940.1, PP329941.1, and PP329943.1, respectively. Mycorrhizal colonization efficiency and plant responses were assessed in five wheat cultivars under Fusarium culmorum infection. Colonization rates were highest in Sham 6 inoculated with R. intraradices (91.2%) and lowest in Abu Ghraib with A. brasiliensis (59.81%) under pathogen stress. Disease severity significantly declined in mycorrhiza-treated plants; Sham 6 inoculated with R. intraradices and F. culmorum exhibited the lowest severity (29.58%), while the highest (46.72%) was in Abu Ghraib treated with A. brasiliensis. Enzyme activities (peroxidase and polyphenol oxidase) were elevated in AMF-inoculated plants, especially in Sham 6 with R. intraradices under pathogenic stress (2.309 and 2.402 U/mL, respectively). AMF also improved growth parameters. Under infection, Sham 6 treated with R. intraradices showed the highest plant height (69.57 cm), shoot and root dry weights (5.75 g and 2.30 g), and chlorophyll content (34.51 SPAD). These findings suggest that R. intraradices is the most effective AMF species for promoting wheat growth and systemic resistance under F. culmorum stress. The isolated fungi also represent a new addition to the Iraqi mycoflora and hold potential for sustainable biological disease management.


Keywords


Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, Fusarium culmorum, biological control, molecular identification, induced systemic resistance

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.33804/pp.009.03.5697

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