Host plant growth promotion and cadmium detoxification in Solanum nigrum, mediated by endophytic fungi

Fungal epiphytes differentially regulate salt tolerance of invasive Ipomoea cairica according to salt stress levels

Fungal symbionts can improve plant tolerance to salt stress. However, the interaction of epiphytic Fusarium oxysporum and Fusarium fujikuroi with the tolerance of the invasive plant Ipomoea cairica against saline coastal habitats is largely unknown. This study aimed to investigate the interaction of the mixture of the two epiphytic fungi with salt tolerance of I. cairica. Surface-sterilized I. cairica cuttings inoculated (E+) and non-inoculated (E-) with the fungal mixture were cultivated with 2, 3, and 5 parts per thousand (PPT) of NaCl solutions to simulate mild, moderate, and severe salt stress, respectively. The hydroponic experiment showed that the growth inhibition and peroxidation damages of E+ and E- cuttings were aggravated with salinity. Noteworthily, E+ cuttings had higher peroxidase (POD) and catalase (CAT) activities, chlorophyll content, total biomass, aboveground biomass, total shoot length and secondary shoot number, but lower root-to-shoot ratio than E- cuttings under 2 and 3 PPT NaCl conditions. Moreover, E+ had higher superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity and proline content but lower belowground biomass and malondialdehyde (MDA) content than E- cuttings under 3 PPT NaCl condition. However, lower SOD, POD, and CAT activities, and chlorophyll content, but higher MDA content occurred in E+ cuttings than in E- cuttings under 5 PPT NaCl condition. These findings suggested that the mixture of the two epiphytic fungi increased salt tolerance of I. cairica mainly through increasing its antioxidation ability and chlorophyll stability under mildly and moderately saline conditions, but decreased salt tolerance of this plant in an opposite way under severely saline conditions.

Boron-resistant Alternaria alternata (OG14) mitigates boron stress by improving physiological and antioxidative response in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)

Effect of Alternaria alternata (OG14) isolated from a rock lichen (Xanthoria sp.) was investigated on the relief of boron stress in wheat. To determine the tolerance level to B stress, the fungus was grown at increasing boric acid (BA) concentrations in the range of 0.0-2.5 M. No significant change in colony development of the fungus was observed up to 1 M BA application compared to the control but after this dose, it decreased depending on the increase in the BA dose. When the element content of wheat seedlings was evaluated by ICP-MS, BA application increased B content together with Mg, P, K, Fe contents of the seedlings to very high levels compared to the control. However, fungus + BA treatments decreased the content of B and the other elements in the seedlings. The BA applications resulted in an increase in the levels of reactive oxygen species, including H2O2 and O2.-as well as lipid peroxidation in the seedlings. However, when the fungal inoculation was performed under the same BA conditions, the levels of these parameters decreased. The fungus inoculation stimulated the activity of all studied enzymes compared to BA applications. BA applications alone increased non - enyzmatic the oxidized ascorbate level more than the reducing ascorbate, leading to a decrease in the AsA/DHA ratio. The results show that A. alternata treatment can mitigate the negative effects of B stress on wheat seedlings by reducing ROS, LPO, B content, increasing the capacity of enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidants, and improving root and shoot length.

Endophytic Bacillus sp. AP10 harboured in Arabis paniculata mediates plant growth promotion and manganese detoxification

Phytoremediation of heavy metal-polluted soils assisted by plant-associated endophytes, is a suitable method for plant growth and manganese (Mn) removal in contaminated soils. This investigation was conducted to evaluate the Mn-resistant endophytic resources of the Mn hyperaccumulator Arabis paniculata and their functions in the phytoremediation of Mn²⁺ toxicity. This study isolated an endophytic bacterium with high Mn resistance and indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) production form A. paniculata and identified it as Bacillus sp. AP10 using 16 S rRNA gene sequencing analysis. The effects of Bacillus sp. AP10 on the alleviation of Mn²⁺ toxicity in Arabidopsis thaliana seedlings and the molecular mechanisms were further investigated using biochemical tests and RNA-seq analysis. Under Mn²⁺ stress, Bacillus sp. AP10 increased the biomass, chlorophyll content and the translocation factor (TF) values of Mn in the aerial parts, while decreased the malondialdehyde (MDA) content of A. thaliana seedlings compared with that of control plants. The differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and enrichment analysis showed that Bacillus sp. AP10 could significantly increase the expression of key genes involved in cell-wall loosening, which may improve plant growth under Mn stress. Superoxide dismutase (SOD)-encoding genes were detected as DEGs after AP10 treatment. Moreover, AP10 regulated the expression of genes responsible for phenylpropanoid pathway, which may promote antioxidant flavonoids accumulation for reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenging to improve Mn tolerance. The activation of ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporter gene expression especially ABCB1 after AP10 stimulation, explained the elevation of metal ion binding or transport related to enhanced Mn accumulation in plants. Futhermore, AP10 might alleviate Mn toxicity through enhancing abscisic acid (ABA) responsive gene expression and ABA biosynthesis. These findings provide new insights into the functions and regulatory mechanism of Bacillus sp. AP10 in promoting plant growth, and tolerance, improving Mn accumulation and alleviating Mn²⁺ toxicity in plants. The application of Bacillus sp. AP10 as potential phytoremediators may be a promising strategy in Mn²⁺ contaminated fields. AVAILABILITY OF DATA AND MATERIALS: The datasets used and/or analysed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

Enhanced mercury phytoremediation by Pseudomonodictys pantanalensis sp. nov. A73 and Westerdykella aquatica P71

Mercury is a non-essential and toxic metal that induces toxicity in most organisms, but endophytic fungi can develop survival strategies to tolerate and respond to metal contaminants and other environmental stressors. The present study demonstrated the potential of mercury-resistant endophytic fungi in phytoremediation. We examined the functional traits involved in plant growth promotion, phytotoxicity mitigation, and mercury phytoremediation in seven fungi strains. The endophytic isolates synthesized the phytohormone indole-3-acetic acid, secreted siderophores, and solubilized phosphate in vitro. Inoculation of maize (Zea mays) plants with endophytes increased plant growth attributes by up to 76.25%. The endophytic fungi stimulated mercury uptake from the substrate and promoted its accumulation in plant tissues (t test, p < 0.05), preferentially in the roots, which thereby mitigated the impacts of metal phytotoxicity. Westerdykella aquatica P71 and the newly identified species Pseudomonodictys pantanalensis nov. A73 were the isolates that presented the best phytoremediation potential. Assembling and annotation of P. pantanalensis A73 and W. aquatica P71 genomes resulted in genome sizes of 45.7 and 31.8 Mb that encoded 17,774 and 11,240 protein-coding genes, respectively. Some clusters of genes detected were involved in the synthesis of secondary metabolites such as dimethylcoprogen (NRPS) and melanin (T1PKS), which are metal chelators with antioxidant activity; mercury resistance (merA and merR1); oxidative stress (PRX1 and TRX1); and plant growth promotion (trpS and iscU). Therefore, both fungi species are potential tools for the bioremediation of mercury-contaminated soils due to their ability to reduce phytotoxicity and assist phytoremediation.

Endophytic fungi mediates production of bioactive secondary metabolites via modulation of genes involved in key metabolic pathways and their contribution in different biotechnological sector

Endophytic fungi stimulate the production of an enormous number of bioactive metabolites in medicinal plants and affect the different steps of biosynthetic pathways of these secondary metabolites. Endophytic fungi possess a number of biosynthetic gene clusters that possess genes for various enzymes, transcription factors, etc., in their genome responsible for the production of secondary metabolites. Additionally, endophytic fungi also modulate the expression of various genes responsible for the synthesis of key enzymes involved in metabolic pathways of such as HMGR, DXR, etc. involved in the production of a large number of phenolic compounds as well as regulate the expression of genes involved in the production of alkaloids and terpenoids in different plants. This review aims to provide a comprehensive overview of gene expression related to endophytes and their impact on metabolic pathways. Additionally, this review will emphasize the studies done to isolate these secondary metabolites from endophytic fungi in large quantities and assess their bioactivity. Due to ease in synthesis of secondary metabolites and their huge application in the medical industry, these bioactive metabolites are now being extracted from strains of these endophytic fungi commercially. Apart from their application in the pharmaceutical industry, most of these metabolites extracted from endophytic fungi also possess plant growth-promoting ability, bioremediation potential, novel bio control agents, sources of anti-oxidants, etc. The review will comprehensively shed a light on the biotechnological application of these fungal metabolites at the industrial level.

Impact of Iron Mining Activity on the Endophytic Fungal Community of Aspilia grazielae

Aspilia grazielae (J. U. Santos) is an endemic plant species in Morro do Urucum in the Pantanal wetland (Brazil). A. grazielae is used for the restoration of areas impacted by iron mining activities. This study evaluates the diversity (composition, value and abundance) of endophytic fungal communities, considering parts of the plant and soil condition. The leaves and roots of A. grazielae were collected from native vegetation areas (NVA) and recovery areas (RCA) in Morro do Urucum. Illumina sequencing technology was used to investigate variation in endophytic fungal biodiversity. The operational taxonomic units detected in NVA ranged from 183 to 263 (leaf) and 115 to 285 (root), while RCA samples ranged from 200 to 282 (leaf) and 156 to 348 (root). Ascomycota phylum was the most common species among all plant samples. The most significant classes identified were Lecanoromycetes and Dothideomycetes that differed significantly (p ≤ 0.05) according to their plant hosts and soil stress. The relative abundance of Pestalotiopsis (Sordariomycetes class) and Stereocaulon (Lecanoromycetes class) genera was influenced by the iron mining activities according to the leaf samples analysed. However, the abundance and wealth of endophytic fungal communities in A. grazielae from RCA were evidence that could explain their high resilience to environmental disturbances and the source-sink dynamics of fungal propagules.

Induction of resilience strategies against biochemical deteriorations prompted by severe cadmium stress in sunflower plant when Trichoderma and bacterial inoculation were used as biofertilizers

Background

Cadmium (Cd) is a highly toxic heavy metal. Its emission is suspected to be further increased due to the dramatic application of ash to agricultural soils and newly reclaimed ones. Thereby, Cd stress encountered by plants will exacerbate. Acute and chronic exposure to Cd can upset plant growth and development and ultimately causes plant death. Microorganisms as agriculturally important biofertilizers have constantly been arising as eco-friendly practices owing to their ability to built-in durability and adaptability mechanisms of plants. However, applying microbes as a biofertilizer agent necessitates the elucidation of the different mechanisms of microbe protection and stabilization of plants against toxic elements in the soil. A greenhouse experiment was performed using Trichoderma harzianum and plant growth-promoting (PGP) bacteria (Azotobacter chroococcum and Bacillus subtilis) individually and integrally to differentiate their potentiality in underpinning various resilience mechanisms versus various Cd levels (0, 50, 100, and 150 mg/kg of soil). Microorganisms were analyzed for Cd tolerance and biosorption capacity, indoleacetic acid production, and phosphate and potassium solubilization in vitro. Plant growth parameters, water relations, physiological and biochemical analysis, stress markers and membrane damage traits, and nutritional composition were estimated.

Results

Unequivocal inversion from a state of downregulation to upregulation was distinct under microbial inoculations. Inoculating soil with T. harzianum and PGPB markedly enhanced the plant parameters under Cd stress (150 mg/kg) compared with control plants by 4.9% and 13.9%, 5.6% and 11.1%, 55.6% and 5.7%, and 9.1% and 4.6% for plant fresh weight, dry weight, net assimilation rate, and transpiration rate, respectively; by 2.3% and 34.9%, 26.3% and 69.0%, 26.3% and 232.4%, 135.3% and 446.2%, 500% and 95.6%, and 60% and 300% for some metabolites such as starch, amino acids, phenolics, flavonoids, anthocyanin, and proline, respectively; by 134.0% and 604.6% for antioxidants including reduced glutathione; and by 64.8% and 91.2%, 21.9% and 72.7%, and 76.7% and 166.7% for enzymes activity including ascorbate peroxidase, glutathione peroxidase, and phenylalanine ammonia-lyase, respectively. Whereas a hampering effect mediated by PGP bacterial inoculation was registered on levels of superoxide anion, hydroxyl radical, electrolyte leakage, and polyphenol oxidase activity, with a decrease of 0.53%, 14.12%, 2.70%, and 5.70%, respectively, under a highest Cd level (150 mg/kg) compared with control plants. The available soil and plant Cd concentrations were decreased by 11.5% and 47.5%, and 3.8% and 45.0% with T. harzianum and PGP bacterial inoculation, respectively, compared with non-inoculated Cd-stressed plants. Whereas, non-significant alternation in antioxidant capacity of sunflower mediated by T. harzianum action even with elevated soil Cd concentrations indicates stable oxidative status. The uptake of nutrients, viz., K, Ca, Mg, Fe, nitrate, and phosphorus, was interestingly increased (34.0, 4.4, 3.3, 9.2, 30.0, and 1.0 mg/g dry weight, respectively) owing to the synergic inoculation in the presence of 150 mg of Cd/kg.

Conclusions

However, strategies of microbe-induced resilience are largely exclusive and divergent. Biofertilizing potential of T. harzianum showed that, owing to its Cd biosorption capability, a resilience strategy was induced via reducing Cd bioavailability to be in the range that turned its effect from toxicity to essentiality posing well-known low-dose stimulation phenomena (hormetic effect), whereas using Azotobacter chroococcum and Bacillus subtilis, owing to their PGP traits, manifested a resilience strategy by neutralizing the potential side effects of Cd toxicity. The synergistic use of fungi and bacteria proved the highest efficiency in imparting sunflower adaptability under Cd stress.

Enhanced Cd efflux capacity and physiological stress resistance: The beneficial modulations of Metarhizium robertsii on plants under cadmium stress

Due to the high migration capacity in agricultural soil-crop systems, cadmium (Cd) is accumulated in various crops and severely inhibits plant growth. In this study, we showed that, under Cd stress, the plant-symbiotic fungus Metarhizium robertsii reduced Cd accumulation in Arabidopsis thaliana shoots and roots by 21.8 % and 23.8 %, respectively. This is achieved by M. robertsii colonization-induced elevation of Cd efflux capacity via upregulation of three PCR genes, which is confirmed by the fact that the extent to which M. robertsii reduced Cd accumulation in the WT plants was greater than the inactivating mutants of the PCR genes. M. robertsii also alleviated Cd-induced leaf etiolation in A. thaliana by increasing the chlorophyll amount and modified plant physiological status to increase Cd stress tolerance via increasing production of catalase, peroxidase and glutathione and upregulating multiple HIPP proteins involved in sequestration of Cd. Notably, consistent with that in A. thaliana, the colonization of M. robertsii also reduced the Cd accumulation in Oryza sativa seedlings by upregulating the PCR gene OsPCR1, and increased chlorophyll amount and alleviated oxidative stress. Therefore, M. robertsii colonization reduced Cd accumulation in plants, and promoted plant growth and health by elevating Cd efflux capacity and modifying physiological status.

Alleviation of Cadmium and Nickel Toxicity and Phyto-Stimulation of Tomato Plant L. by Endophytic Micrococcus luteus and Enterobacter cloacae

Cadmium (Cd) and nickel (Ni) are two of the most toxic metals, wreaking havoc on human health and agricultural output. Furthermore, high levels of Cd and Ni in the soil environment, particularly in the root zone, may slow plant development, resulting in lower plant biomass. On the other hand, endophytic bacteria offer great promise for reducing Cd and Ni. Moreover, they boost plants’ resistance to heavy metal stress. Different bacterium strains were isolated from tomato roots. These isolates were identified as Micrococcus luteus and Enterobacter cloacae using 16SrDNA and were utilized to investigate their involvement in mitigating the detrimental effects of heavy metal stress. The two bacterial strains can solubilize phosphorus and create phytohormones as well as siderophores. Therefore, the objective of this study was to see how endophytic bacteria (Micrococcus luteus and Enterobactercloacae) affected the mitigation of stress from Cd and Ni in tomato plants grown in 50 μM Cd or Ni-contaminated soil. According to the findings, Cd and Ni considerably lowered growth, biomass, chlorophyll (Chl) content, and photosynthetic properties. Furthermore, the content of proline, phenol, malondialdehyde (MDA), H₂O₂, OH, O₂, the antioxidant defense system, and heavy metal (HM) contents were significantly raised under HM-stress conditions. However, endophytic bacteria greatly improved the resistance of tomato plants to HM stress by boosting enzymatic antioxidant defenses (i.e., catalase, peroxidase, superoxide dismutase, glutathione reductase, ascorbate peroxidase, lipoxygenase activity, and nitrate reductase), antioxidant, non-enzymatic defenses, and osmolyte substances such as proline, mineral content, and specific regulatory defense genes. Moreover, the plants treated had a higher value for bioconcentration factor (BCF) and translocation factor (TF) due to more extensive loss of Cd and Ni content from the soil. To summarize, the promotion of endophytic bacterium-induced HM resistance in tomato plants is essentially dependent on the influence of endophytic bacteria on antioxidant capacity and osmoregulation.

Phytoremediation of cadmium-contaminated soils by Solanum nigrum L. enhanced with biodegradable chelating agents

The application of biodegradable chelating agents to enhance phytoremediation is a low-cost and promising method to improve the remediation efficiency of heavy metal-contaminated soil. The effects of N, N-bis glutamic acid (GLDA) on the growth and heavy metal absorption of Solanum nigrum were studied by pot experiment. The addition of chelate on the 20th day after sowing can improve the bioavailability of cadmium (Cd) in the soil. The results showed that the addition of chelating agents effectively improved the migration rate of the target heavy metal Cd in the soil, and significantly increased the accumulation of heavy metal in the roots, stems, and leaves of plants. The results showed that compared with the control group, the chelating agent could increase the extraction rate of total Cd by 28.65-68.74%. The application of GLDA significantly increased the accumulation of Cd (20 mg kg^-1 and 40 mg kg^-1), reaching 24.28-40.30 and 25.71-33.16 μg of pot^-1 DW, respectively. At the same time, GLDA increased Cd stress by decreasing plant biomass, inhibiting photosynthetic pigment synthesis and increasing MDA levels. These results indicated that GLDA could improve the absorption of Cd by S. nigrum, which provided a new idea for its practical application in the remediation of Cd-contaminated soil.

Plant associated endophytic fungi as potential bio-factories for extracellular enzymes: Progress, Challenges and Strain improvement with precision approaches

There is an intricate network of relations between endophytic fungi and their hosts that affects the production of various bioactive compounds. Plant-associated endophytic contain industrially important enzymes and have the potential to fulfill their rapid demand in the international market to boost business in technology. Being safe and metabolically active, they have replaced the usage of toxic and harmful chemicals and hold a credible application in biotransformation, bioremediation, and industrial processes. Despite these, there are limited reports on fungal endophytes that can directly cater to the demand and supply of industrially stable enzymes. The underlying reasons include low endogenous production and secretion of enzymes from fungal endophytes which have raised concern for widely accepted applications. Hence it is imperative to augment the biosynthetic and secretory potential of fungal endophytes. Modern state-of-the-art biotechnological technologies aiming at strain improvement using cell factory engineering as well as precise gene editing like Clustered Regularly Interspaced Palindromic Repeats (CRISPR) and its Associated proteins (Cas) systems which can provide a boost in fungal endophyte enzyme production. Additionally, it is vital to characterize optimum conditions to grow one strain with multiple enzymes (OSME). The present review encompasses various plants-derived endophytic fungal enzymes and their applications in various sectors. Further, we postulate the feasibility of new precision approaches with an aim for strain improvement and enhanced enzyme production.

Plant-Mycorrhizal Fungi Interactions in Phytoremediation of Geogenic Contaminated Soils

Soil contamination by geogenic contaminants (GCs) represents an imperative environmental problem. Various soil remediation methods have been successfully employed to ameliorate the health risks associated with GCs. Phytoremediation is considered as an eco-friendly and economical approach to revegetate GC-contaminated soils. However, it is a very slow process, as plants take a considerable amount of time to gain biomass. Also, the process is limited only to the depth and surface area of the root. Inoculation of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) with remediating plants has been found to accelerate the phytoremediation process by enhancing plant biomass and their metal accumulation potential while improving the soil physicochemical and biological characteristics. Progress in the field application is hindered by a lack of understanding of complex interactions between host plant and AMF that contribute to metal detoxification/(im)mobilization/accumulation/translocation. Thus, this review is an attempt to reveal the underlying mechanisms of plant-AMF interactions in phytoremediation.

Metalliferous habitats and seed microbes affect the seed morphology and reproductive strategy of Arabidopsis halleri

PURPOSE

Plant reproduction in metalliferous habitats is challenged by elevated concentrations of metal trace elements in soil. As part of their survival strategy, metal-tolerant plants have adjusted reproductive traits, including seed morphology, dormancy, and germination rate. These traits are particularly relevant, yet poorly understood, in metal hyperaccumulators that are promising candidates for phytoremediation.

METHODS

We assessed seed shape characteristics, dormancy, and germination rate in the hyperaccumulating model species Arabidopsis halleri. Seed morphological parameters were evaluated using seeds collected from two metalliferous and two non-metalliferous sites (~ 1000 seeds per location). We also addressed the potential influence of seed surface-associated microbes and endophytic fungi on germination success.

RESULTS

Seeds from non-metallicolous populations were on average 18% bigger than those from metal-contaminated post-mining sites, which contrasts the general expectation about reproductive parts in metallicolous plants. Irrespective of their origin, surface-sterilized seeds had up to ~ 20% higher germination rates and germinated earlier than non-sterilized seeds, hinting at a negative effect of seed-associated microbial communities. Surface sterilization also facilitated the emergence of an endophytic fungus (Aspergillus niger) that is a known seed-borne pathogen. Interestingly, A. niger actually promoted germination in surface-sterilized seeds from some locations.

CONCLUSION

Despite species-wide metal tolerance in A. halleri, metalliferous conditions seem to differently affect reproductive traits compared to non-metalliferous environments (e.g., smaller seeds). Yet, higher germination rates in these populations hint at the potential of A. halleri to successfully colonize post-mining habitats. This process is modulated by site-specific interactions with seed microbiota.

Endophytic fungal communities and their biotechnological implications for agro-environmental sustainability

Endophytic fungal communities have attracted a great attention to chemists, ecologists, and microbiologists as a treasure trove of biological resource. Endophytic fungi play incredible roles in the ecosystem including abiotic and biotic stress tolerance, eco-adaptation, enhancing growth and development, and maintaining the health of their host. In recent times, endophytic fungi have drawn a special focus owing to their indispensable diversity, unique distribution, and unparalleled metabolic pathways. The endophytic fungal communities belong to three phyla, namely Mucoromycota, Basidiomycota, and Ascomycota with seven predominant classes Agaricomycetes, Dothideomycetes, Eurotiomycetes, Mortierellomycotina, Mucoromycotina, Saccharomycetes, and Sordariomycetes. In a review of a huge number of research finding, it was found that endophytic fungal communities of genera Aspergillus, Chaetomium, Fusarium, Gaeumannomyces, Metarhizium, Microsphaeropsis, Paecilomyces, Penicillium, Piriformospora, Talaromyces, Trichoderma, Verticillium, and Xylaria have been sorted out and well characterized for diverse biotechnological applications for future development. Furthermore, these communities are remarkable source of novel bioactive compounds with amazing biological activity for use in agriculture, food, and pharmaceutical industry. Endophytes are endowed with a broad range of structurally unique bioactive natural products, including alkaloids, benzopyranones, chinones, flavonoids, phenolic acids, and quinines. Subsequently, there is still an excellent opportunity to explore novel compounds from endophytic fungi among numerous plants inhabiting different niches. Furthermore, high-throughput sequencing could be a tool to study interaction between plants and endophytic fungi which may provide further opportunities to reveal unknown functions of endophytic fungal communities. The present review deals with the biodiversity of endophytic fungal communities and their biotechnological implications for agro-environmental sustainability.

Harnessing Endophytic Fungi for Enhancing Growth, Tolerance and Quality of Rose-Scented Geranium (Pelargonium graveolens (L'Hér) Thunb.) Plants under Cadmium Stress: A Biochemical Study

Heavy metal contamination in soil is increasing rapidly due to increasing anthropogenic activities. Despite the importance of rose-scented geranium as a medicinal plant, little attention was paid to enhancing its productivity in heavy metal-polluted soil. In this regard, endophytes improve plant resistance to heavy metal toxicity and enhance its tissue quality. Here, the impact of the three endophytic fungi Talaromyces versatilis (E6651), Emericella nidulans (E6658), and Aspergillus niger (E6657) on geranium growth, tolerance, and tissue quality under cadmium (Cd) stress was investigated. In contrast to E. nidulans, T. versatilis and A. niger enhanced geranium growth and the stimulatory effect was more pronounced under Cd-stress. The three endophytes significantly alleviated Cd accumulation and increased mineral content in geranium leaves. In addition, endophytic fungi successfully alleviated Cd-induced membrane damage and reinforced the antioxidant defenses in geranium leaves. Inoculation with endophytes stimulated all the antioxidant enzymes under Cd-stress, and the response was more obvious in the case of T. versatilis and A. niger. To reduce the toxicity of tissue-Cd levels, T. versatilis and A. niger upregulated the detoxification mechanisms; glutathione-S-transferase, phytochelatin, and metallothionein levels. Moreover, endophytic fungi improved the medicinal value and quality of geranium by increasing total antioxidant capacity (TAC), phenolic compound biosynthesis (phenylalanine ammonia-lyase), and vitamin content as well as the quantity and quality of essential oil, particularly under Cd-stress conditions. The variation in the mechanisms modulated by the different endophytic fungi was supported by Principal Component Analysis (PCA). Overall, this study provided fundamental insights into endophytes' impact as a feasible strategy to mitigate the phytotoxicity hazards of Cd-stress in geranium and enhance its quality, based on the growth and biochemical investigations.

Synergistic interaction of fungal endophytes, Paecilomyces formosus LHL10 and Penicillium funiculosum LHL06, in alleviating multi-metal toxicity stress in Glycine max L

Heavy metal accumulation in crop grains due to hazardous metal contamination is considered a great concern. However, phytobeneficial fungi are reported to have important abilities for the biosafety of crops grown in contaminated soil. Therefore, the current study was undertaken to explore the mutualistic association of plant growth-promoting endophytic fungi in reducing heavy metal concentration in the seeds of soybean plants subsequently grown in contaminated soil, without comprising seed quality and biochemical profile. The results revealed that endophytic Paecilomyces formosus LHL10 and Penicillium funiculosum LHL06 synergistically produced higher amounts of GAs and IAA in a co-cultured medium. Moreover, the co-inoculation of LHL06 and LHL10 to soybean plants grown under multi-metal toxic conditions significantly mitigated the adverse effects of heavy metal toxicity and increased the seed production (number of pods per plants, number of seeds per pod, and 100 seed weight) of soybean plants grown under control and multi-metal toxic conditions. Moreover, the levels of carbohydrates (glucose, sucrose, and fructose), minerals (iron, calcium, magnesium, and potassium), amino acids (serine, glutamic acids, glycine, methionine, lysine, arginine, and proline), and antioxidants (superoxide dismutase, catalase, and peroxidase) were significantly enhanced in sole and co-inoculated plants under control and stress conditions. Whereas organic acids (citric acid, tartaric acid, malic acid, and succinic acid), lipid peroxidation (MDA) products, multi-metal accumulation (nickel, cadmium, copper, lead, chromium, and aluminum), and stress-responsive endogenous abscisic acid levels were significantly decreased in seeds of soybean plants grown under control and multi-metal toxic conditions upon LHL06 and LHL10 sole and co-inoculation. The current results suggested the positive biochemical regulation in seeds for improving the nutritional status and making it safe for human consumption.

Fungal Endophyte: An Interactive Endosymbiont With the Capability of Modulating Host Physiology in Myriad Ways

Endophytic fungi ubiquitously dwell inside the tissue-spaces of plants, mostly asymptomatically. They grow either intercellularly or intracellularly in a particular host plant to complete the whole or part of their life cycle. They have been found to be associated with almost all the plants occurring in a natural ecosystem. Due to their important role in the survival of plants (modulate photosynthesis, increase nutrient uptake, alleviate the effect of various stresses) they have been selected to co-evolve with their hosts through the course of evolution. Many years of intense research have discovered their tremendous roles in increasing the fitness of the plants in both normal and stressed conditions. There are numerous literature regarding the involvement of various endophytic fungi in enhancing plant growth, nutrient uptake, stress tolerance, etc. But, there are scant reports documenting the specific mechanisms employed by fungal endophytes to manipulate plant physiology and exert their effects. In this review, we aim to document the probable ways undertaken by endophytic fungi to alter different physiological parameters of their host plants. Our objective is to present an in-depth elucidation about the impact of fungal endophytes on plant physiology to make this evolutionarily conserved symbiotic interaction understandable from a broader perspective.

Re-vitalizing of endophytic microbes for soil health management and plant protection

Soil health management and increase crop productivity are challenging issues for researchers and scientists. Many research publications have given multiple technological solutions for improving soil health and crop productivity but main problem is sustainability of those technologies under field condition and different agro-climatic zone. Due to the random industrialization, deforestation, mining and other environmental factor reduce soil fertility and human health. Many alternative options e.g., crop rotation, green manuring, integrated farming, biofertilizer (plant-growth-promoting microorganism, microbial consortium of rhizosphere soils), and vermicomposting are available for adapting and improving the soil heath and crop productivity by farmers. Recent trends of new research dimension for sustainable agriculture, endophytic microbes and its consortium is one of the better alternative for increasing crop productivity, soil health and fertility management. However, current trends are focuses on the endophytic microbes, which are present mostly in all plant species. Endophytic microbes are isolated from plant parts-root, shoot, leaf, flower and seeds which have very potential ability of plant growth promotion and bio-controlling agent for enhancing plant growth and development. Mostly plant endophytes showed multi-dimensional (synergistic, mutualistic, symbiotic etc.) interactions within the host plants. It promotes the plant growth, protects from pathogen, and induces resistance against biotic and abiotic environmental stresses, and improves the soil fertility. Till date, most of the scientific research has been done on assuming that interaction of plant endophytes with the host is similar like the plant-growth-promoting microorganism (PGPM). It would be very interesting to explore the functional properties of plant endophytes to modulate the essential gene expression during biotic and abiotic stresses. Endophytes have the ability to induce the soil fertility by improving soil essential nutrient, enzymatic activity and influence the other physiochemical property. In this study, we have discussed details about functional properties of plant endophytes and their mechanism for enhancing plant productivity and soil health and fertility management under climate-resilient agricultural practices. Our main objective is to promote and explore the beneficial plant endophytes for enhancing sustainable agricultural productivity.

Molecular identification and evaluation of gamma irradiation effect on modulating heavy metals tolerance in some of novel endophytic fungal strains

Heavy metal (HM) pollution is a worldwide environmental issue. Given the urgent need to develop more powerful approaches for effective phytoremediation of HMs, isolation of novel endophytic strains from hyperaccumulator plants having potent HM tolerance is the main objective in this research. Moreover, the recovered strains were characterized and subjected to radiation mutagenesis to enhance their tolerance to HMs. Among 105 isolates, Alternaria alternata AUMC14431 was identified as the most effective Cd⁺² tolerant strain having high recorded tolerance index (TI) (76.24%); in addition, the recorded minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) was 300 ppm. Meanwhile, Chaetomium globosum AUMC14432 was identified as the most effective Pb⁺² and Ni⁺² tolerant strain having high recorded TI (97.46 and 93.34%, respectively); in addition, the evaluated MICs were 250 and 200 ppm, respectively. UV and gamma irradiation of the tested strains enhanced their Cd⁺² and Pb⁺² tolerance significantly (P ≤ 0.05). Meanwhile, irradiation had a negative impact on Ni⁺² tolerance of C. globosum. The mutation incidence at the molecular level arising from exposure to irradiation was investigated. Genomic DNA of both the wild and mutated endophytic strains were isolated followed by random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD-PCR) analysis, using two short primers. A remarkable difference in DNA gel pattern between the wild type and mutated strains was observed. In conclusion, the novel isolated and irradiated endophytic strains, A. alternata S5 and C. globosum El26, having high efficiency in Cd⁺² and Pb⁺² tolerance, respectively, are considered to be prospective and powerful bioremediation candidates for potential application in microbially assisted phytoremediation.

Natural Fungal Endophytes From Noccaea caerulescens Mediate Neutral to Positive Effects on Plant Biomass, Mineral Nutrition and Zn Phytoextraction

Phytoextraction using hyperaccumulating plants is a method for the remediation of soils contaminated with trace elements (TEs). As a strategy for improvement, the concept of fungal-assisted phytoextraction has emerged in the last decade. However, the role played by fungal endophytes of hyperaccumulating plants in phytoextraction is poorly studied. Here, fungal endophytes isolated from calamine or non-metalliferous populations of the Cd/Zn hyperaccumulator Noccaea caerulescens were tested for their growth promotion abilities affecting the host plant. Plants were inoculated with seven different isolates and grown for 2 months in trace element (TE)-contaminated soil. The outcomes of the interactions between N. caerulescens and its native strains ranged from neutral to beneficial. Among the strains, Alternaria thlaspis and Metapochonia rubescens, respectively, isolated from the roots of a non-metallicolous and a calamine population of N. caerulescens, respectively, exhibited the most promising abilities to enhance the Zn phytoextraction potential of N. caerulescens related to a significant increase of the plant biomass. These strains significantly increased the root elemental composition, particularly in the case of K, P, and S, suggesting an improvement of the plant nutrition. Results obtained in this study provide new insights into the relevance of microbial-assisted phytoextraction approaches in the case of hyperaccumulating plants.

Performance of Actinobacteria isolated from rhizosphere soils on plant growth promotion under cadmium toxicity

This work aimed to evaluate the potential use of plant growth-promoting actinobacteria (PGPA) for enhanced cadmium (Cd) phytoremediation and plant growth. Forty-two actinobacteria were isolated from rhizosphere soils in Thailand. Among isolates tested, only Streptomyces phaeogriseichromatogenes isolate COS4, showed the high ability to produce siderophores as a plant growth stimulant and had a strong Cd tolerance potential. The significance of siderophores production and Cd tolerance ability under different Cd concentrations suggests the potential of isolate COS4 to work effectively. Plant culture revealed that the significant increase in root length, root to tip length, and total dried weight of sunflower were obtained after 2 h incubation of sunflower seeds with isolate COS4. The efficiency of Cd uptake was found to range between 42.3 and 61.3%. Translocation factor results confirmed that plant growth promoting S. phaeogriseichromatogenes isolate COS4-assisted phytoremediation can be considered as Cd absorbents for the restoration of polluted sites due to high translocation values.

Isolation, identification, and characterization of cadmium-tolerant endophytic fungi isolated from barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) roots and their role in enhancing phytoremediation

Four hundred endophytic fungi isolates with different colony morphologies were isolated from roots of Hordeum vulgare L. collected from un-engineered landfills (the measured cadmium was 0.9 mg kg^-1) of Kermanshah province in West Iran. Based on morphology and phylogeny of DNA sequence data for the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) rDNA and comparing the sequences with that available in NCBI database, 11 isolates are identified as dark septate endophytes (DSE) including Alternaria alternata, Microdochium bolleyi, Bipolaris zeicola, Alternaria sp., and Pleosporales sp., and the other nine are not dark septate endophytes (non-DSE) including Fusarium redolens, Fusarium tricinctum, Fusarium monliforme, Clonostachys rosea, and Epicoccum nigrum. Tolerance of DSE and non-DSE strains for Cd were investigated in potato dextrose agar medium. Minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) of Cd from nitrate salt source (Cd (NO₃)₂) and EC₅₀ were determined. The means of MIC and EC₅₀ values for DSE fungi species were 1254.5 and 209.74 mg/kg, compared to 800 and 150.3 mg/kg for non-DSEs. Among the endophytic fungi isolated, Alternaria sp. (TBR5) and Bipolaris zeicola (Tw26) showed the highest tolerance to Cd with a MIC value of 2000 mg/L and 1800 mg/L, respectively. Barley plants were inoculated with TBR5 and Tw26 in Cd-added sands (0, 10, 30, 60 mg Cd/kg sand). In terms of Cd accumulation, our results showed that TBR5 and Tw26 inoculation increased the amount of Cd in the barley roots. TBR5 and Tw26 significantly improved (p < 0.05) plant growth in the presence of Cd by enhancing plant growth attributes such as chlorophyll content, root weight, plant length, fresh weight, and dry weight of plants. This is the first study on the abundance and identification of endophytic root fungi of barley in a cadmium-contaminated soil in Iran. The results of this study showed that DSE and non-DSE have the potential to improve the efficiency of phytoremediation.

New Insights into the Transcriptional Regulation of Genes Involved in the Nitrogen Use Efficiency under Potassium Chlorate in Rice (Oryza sativa L.)

Potassium chlorate (KClO3) has been widely used to evaluate the divergence in nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) between indica and japonica rice subspecies. This study investigated the transcriptional regulation of major genes involved in the NUE in rice treated with KClO3, which acts as an inhibitor of the reducing activity of nitrate reductase (NR) in higher plants. A set of two KClO3 sensitive nitrate reductase (NR) and two nitrate transporter (NRT) introgression rice lines (BC2F7), carrying the indica alleles of NR or NRT, derived from a cross between Saeilmi (japonica, P1) and Milyang23 (indica, P2), were exposed to KClO3 at the seedling stage. The phenotypic responses were recorded 7 days after treatment, and samples for gene expression, physiological, and biochemical analyses were collected at 0 h (control) and 3 h after KClO3 application. The results revealed that Saeilmi (P1, japonica) and Milyang23 (P2, indica) showed distinctive phenotypic responses. In addition, the expression of OsNR2 was differentially regulated between the roots, stem, and leaf tissues, and between introgression lines. When expressed in the roots, OsNR2 was downregulated in all introgression lines. However, in the stem and leaves, OsNR2 was upregulated in the NR introgression lines, but downregulation in the NRT introgression lines. In the same way, the expression patterns of OsNIA1 and OsNIA2 in the roots, stem, and leaves indicated a differential transcriptional regulation by KClO3, with OsNIA2 prevailing over OsNIA1 in the roots. Under the same conditions, the activity of NR was inhibited in the roots and differentially regulated in the stem and leaf tissues. Furthermore, the transcriptional divergence of OsAMT1.3 and OsAMT2.3, OsGLU1 and OsGLU2, between NR and NRT, coupled with the NR activity pattern in the roots, would indicate the prevalence of nitrate (NO3¯) transport over ammonium (NH4+) transport. Moreover, the induction of catalase (CAT) and polyphenol oxidase (PPO) enzyme activities in Saeilmi (P1, KClO3 resistant), and the decrease in Milyang23 (P2, KClO3 sensitive), coupled with the malondialdehyde (MDA) content, indicated the extent of the oxidative stress, and the induction of the adaptive response mechanism, tending to maintain a balanced reduction-oxidation state in response to KClO3. The changes in the chloroplast pigments and proline content propose these compounds as emerging biomarkers for assessing the overall plant health status. These results suggest that the inhibitory potential of KClO3 on the reduction activity of the nitrate reductase (NR), as well as that of the genes encoding the nitrate and ammonium transporters, and glutamate synthase are tissue-specific, which may differentially affect the transport and assimilation of nitrate or ammonium in rice.

Phytoremediation potential of Youngia japonica (L.) DC: a newly discovered cadmium hyperaccumulator

Cadmium (Cd) is one of the most toxic contaminants, causing a lot of harm to environment and the human health. An outdoor pot experiment for 60 days was conducted to study the Cd(II) effects on growth, biomass, physiological properties, Cd uptake, and accumulation in Youngia japonica plants but also to evaluate the effect of Y. japonica growth on enzyme activity of Cd-contamination soils. Generally, the application of Cd(II) less than 120 mg kg^-1 stimulated the growth of the plants, whereas at 160 mg kg^-1 or higher levels, a significant reduction was observed. For all treatments > 10 mg kg^-1 Cd(II) in soil, values of Cd in roots and aboveground parts were more than the critical value of 100 mg kg^-1 and reached highest values of 252.51 and 314.29 mg kg^-1, respectively. The bioconcentration factors (BCF) and translation factors (TF) for all Cd treatments were more than 1.0, with the former ranging from 1.03 to 5.46 and the later from 1.04 to 1.33. The activities of peroxidase (POD) and superoxide dismutase (SOD), as well as the levels of glutathione (GSH) and proline in Y. japonica plants after exposure to 10-200 mg kg^-1 Cd(II) were stimulated, implying that they were defensive guards to the oxidative stress produced by Cd. The urease, dehydrogenase, and alkaline phosphatase activities under low Cd concentrations can be enhanced by planting Y. japonica species but inhibited under high Cd concentrations. Our data provide comprehensive evidence that Y. japonica has the typical properties of a Cd hyperaccumulator and thus may be practically employed to alleviate Cd from contaminated soils.

Promotion of growth and phytoextraction of cadmium and lead in Solanum nigrum L. mediated by plant-growth-promoting rhizobacteria

Plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) are a specific category of microbes that improve plant growth and promote greater tolerance to metal stress through their interactions with plant roots. We evaluated the effects of phytoremediation combining the cadmium accumulator Solanum nigrum L. and two Cd- and Pb-resistant bacteria isolates. To understand the interaction between PGPR and their host plant, we conducted greenhouse experiments with inoculation treatments at Nanjing Agricultural University (Jiangsu Province, China), in June 2018. Two Cd- and Pb-resistant PGPR with various growth-promoting properties were isolated from heavy metal-contaminated soil. 16S rRNA analyses indicated that the two isolates were Bacillus genus, and they were named QX8 and QX13. Pot experiments demonstrated that inoculation may improve the rhizosphere soil environment and promote absorption of Fe and P by plants. Inoculation with QX8 and QX13 also enhanced the dry weight of shoots (1.36- and 1.7-fold, respectively) and roots (1.42- and 1.96-fold) of plants growing in Cd- and Pb-contaminated soil, and significantly increased total Cd (1.28-1.81 fold) and Pb (1.08-1.55 fold) content in aerial organs, compared to non-inoculated controls. We also detected increases of 23% and 22% in the acid phosphatase activity of rhizosphere soils inoculated with QX8 and QX13, respectively. However, we did not detect significant differences between inoculated and non-inoculated treatments in Cd and Pb concentrations in plants and available Cd and Pb content in rhizosphere soils. We demonstrated that PGPR-assisted phytoremediation is a promising technique for remediating heavy metal-contaminated soils, with the potential to enhance phytoremediation efficiency and improve soil quality.

Drought-induced AtbZIP62 transcription factor regulates drought stress response in Arabidopsis

We investigated the role of AtbZIP62, an uncharacterized Arabidopsis bZIP TF, in oxidative, nitro-oxidative and drought stress conditions using reverse genetics approach. We further monitored the expression of AtPYD1 gene (orthologous to rice OsDHODH1 involved in the pyrimidine biosynthesis) in atbzip62 knock-out (KO) plants in order to investigate the transcriptional interplay of AtbZIP62 and AtPYD1. The atbzip62 KO plants showed significant increase in shoot length under oxidative stress, while no significant difference was recorded for root length compared to WT. However, under nitro-oxidative stress conditions, atbzip62 showed differential response to both NO-donors. Further characterization of AtbZIP62 under drought conditions showed that both atbzip62 and atpyd1-2 showed a sensitive phenotype to drought stress, and could not recover after re-watering. Transcript accumulation of AtbZIP62 and AtPYD1 showed that both were highly up-regulated by drought stress in wild type (WT) plants. Interestingly, AtPYD1 transcriptional level significantly decreased in atbzip62 exposed to drought stress. However, AtbZIP62 expression was highly induced in atpyd1-2 under the same conditions. Both AtbZIP62 and AtPYD1 were up-regulated in atnced3 and atcat2 while showing a contrasting expression pattern in atgsnor1-3. The recorded increase in CAT, POD, and PPO-like activities, the accumulation of chlorophylls and total carotenoids, and the enhanced proline and malondialdehyde levels would explain the sensitivity level of atbzip62 towards drought stress. All results collectively suggest that AtbZIP62 could be involved in AtPYD1 transcriptional regulation while modulating cellular redox state and photosynthetic processes. In addition, AtbZIP62 is suggested to positively regulate drought stress response in Arabidopsis.

Endophytic bacteria stimulate mercury phytoremediation by modulating its bioaccumulation and volatilization

The quantification, efficiency, and possible mechanisms of mercury phytoremediation by endophytic bacteria are poorly understood. Here we selected 8 out of 34 previously isolated endophytic bacterial strains with a broad resistance profile to metals and 11 antibiotics: Acinetobacter baumannii BacI43, Bacillus sp. BacI34, Enterobacter sp. BacI14, Klebsiella pneumoniae BacI20, Pantoea sp. BacI23, Pseudomonas sp. BacI7, Pseudomonas sp. BacI38, and Serratia marcescens BacI56. Except for Klebsiella pneumoniae BacI20, the other seven bacterial strains promoted maize growth on a mercury-contaminated substrate. Acinetobacter baumannii BacI43 and Bacillus sp. BacI34 increased total dry biomass by approximately 47%. The bacteria assisted mercury remediation by decreasing the metal amount in the substrate, possibly by promoting its volatilization. The plants inoculated with Serratia marcescens BacI56 and Pseudomonas sp. BacI38 increased mercury volatilization to 47.16% and 62.42%, respectively. Except for Bacillus sp. BacI34 and Pantoea sp. BacI23, the other six bacterial strains favored mercury bioaccumulation in plant tissues. Endophytic bacteria-assisted phytoremediation contributed to reduce the substrate toxicity assessed in different model organisms. The endophytic bacterial strains selected herein are potential candidates for assisted phytoremediation that shall help reduce environmental toxicity of mercury-contaminated soils.

Cocoa-laden cadmium threatens human health and cacao economy: A critical view

In the recent decades, Cd burden in cocoa-based products threatened global food safety, human health and the future of chocolateries. Increased Cd bioavailability is an acute problem in cacao-based horticulture. Poverty, poor maintenance, unjustified traditional farming, and paucity of knowledge on Cd-binding propensity in cacao discourage the application of risk-mitigation measures. Progressive accumulation of Cd, with a half-life of 10-30 years, in the human body even at ultra-trace levels may lead to serious health complications. If Cd accumulates in the food chain through cocoa products, consequences in children, who are the primary consumers of chocolates, include morbidity and mortality that may result in a significant demographic transition by the year 2050. Developing cacao clones with an innate capability of taking up low Cd levels from soils, and site-specific Cd-cacao research might contribute to limiting the trophic transfer of Cd. This review highlights the possible routes for Cd uptake in cacao plants and discusses the measures to rescue the chocolateries from Cd pollution to promote "healthy" cacao farming. The potential human health risks of chocolate-laden Cd and mitigation strategies to minimize Cd burden in the human body are also presented. The challenges and prospects in Cd-cacao research are discussed as well.

Significance of manganese resistant bacillus cereus strain WSE01 as a bioinoculant for promotion of plant growth and manganese accumulation in Myriophyllum verticillatum

Endophytic bacteria are generally helpful for plant growth and protection. Strain WSE01, which was identified as bacillus cereus, was isolated from the stem of Myriophyllum verticillatum and it displayed a high tolerance to Mn (1500 mg/L). The strain was found to be able to produce indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) and siderophores, fix the atmospheric nitrogen and dissolve potassium from insoluble K-bearing minerals. In hydroponic culture experiments, the inoculation of strain WSE01 significantly promoted the growth and increased the leaf enzyme activity in the inoculated plant M. verticillatum. Furthermore, the manganese content was increased by 36.4% in stems and by 54.7% in leaves of the inoculated plant under Mn stress at 400 mg/L, compared to the non-inoculated group. This study suggests that the strain WSE01 has the potential to be used as biocontrol and/or biofertilizing agents for application in macrophyte M. verticillatum and conduces to achieving more effective phytoremediation of metal-contaminated waters.

Salinity Stress-Mediated Suppression of Expression of Salt Overly Sensitive Signaling Pathway Genes Suggests Negative Regulation by AtbZIP62 Transcription Factor in Arabidopsis thaliana

Salt stress is one of the most serious threats in plants, reducing crop yield and production. The salt overly sensitive (SOS) pathway in plants is a salt-responsive pathway that acts as a janitor of the cell to sweep out Na+ ions. Transcription factors (TFs) are key regulators of expression and/or repression of genes. The basic leucine zipper (bZIP) TF is a large family of TFs regulating various cellular processes in plants. In the current study, we investigated the role of the Arabidopsis thaliana bZIP62 TF in the regulation of SOS signaling pathway by measuring the transcript accumulation of its key genes such as SOS1, 2, and 3, in both wild-type (WT) and atbzip62 knock-out (KO) mutants under salinity stress. We further observed the activation of enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidant systems in the wild-type, atbzip62, atcat2 (lacking catalase activity), and atnced3 (lacking 9-cis-epoxycarotenoid dioxygenase involved in the ABA pathway) KO mutants. Our findings revealed that atbzip62 plants exhibited an enhanced salt-sensitive phenotypic response similar to atnced3 and atcat2 compared to WT, 10 days after 150 mM NaCl treatment. Interestingly, the transcriptional levels of SOS1, SOS2, and SOS3 increased significantly over time in the atbzip62 upon NaCl application, while they were downregulated in the wild type. We also measured chlorophyll a and b, pheophytin a and b, total pheophytin, and total carotenoids. We observed that the atbzip62 exhibited an increase in chlorophyll and total carotenoid contents, as well as proline contents, while it exhibited a non-significant increase in catalase activity. Our results suggest that AtbZIP62 negatively regulates the transcriptional events of SOS pathway genes, AtbZIP18 and AtbZIP69 while modulating the antioxidant response to salt tolerance in Arabidopsis.

Dark septate endophytic fungi mitigate the effects of salt stress on cowpea plants

The association of plant with microorganisms, such as dark septate endophytic fungi, has mitigated the harmful effects of chemical, physical, and biological agents on the host. The objective of this work was to evaluate the interaction of the dark septate endophytic fungi with cowpea plants under salt stress. Endophytic fungi were isolated from Vochysia divergens root system, and molecular identification of fungi was performed by sequencing the ITS region. We selected and identified Sordariomycetes sp1-B'2 and Melanconiella elegans-21W2 for their ability to infect V. divergens root in vitro with development of typical dark septate fungi structures. Cowpea plants-inoculated or not inoculated with Sordariomycetes sp1-B'2 and M. elegans 21W2-were cultivated in 5-L pots under greenhouse conditions and submitted to four different electrical conductivities of irrigation water (1.2, 2.2, 3.6, and 5.0 dS m-1). The salinity caused decrease in leaf concentration of K and increased leaf concentration of calcium, sodium, and chlorine; and no influence of dark septate endophytic fungi was observed in these responses. On the other hand, root colonization with Sordariomycetes sp1-B'2 and M. elegans 21W2 resulted in improved nutrition with N and P in cowpea under salt stress, favoring the growth and rate of liquid photosynthesis. However, such positive responses were evident only at moderate levels of salinity.

Mercury resistance and bioremediation mediated by endophytic fungi

The present study proposes the use of endophytic fungi for mercury bioremediation in in vitro and host-associated systems. We examined mercury resistance in 32 strains of endophytic fungi grown in culture medium supplemented with toxic metal concentrations. The residual mercury concentrations were quantified after mycelial growth. Aspergillus sp. A31, Curvularia geniculata P1, Lindgomycetaceae P87, and Westerdykella sp. P71 were selected and further tested for mercury bioremediation and bioaccumulation in vitro, as well as for growth promotion of Aeschynomene fluminensis and Zea mays in the presence or absence of the metal. Aspergillus sp. A31, C. geniculata P1, Lindgomycetaceae P87 and Westerdykella sp. P71 removed up to 100% of mercury from the culture medium in a species-dependent manner and they promoted A. fluminensis and Z. mays growth in substrates containing mercury or not (Dunnett's test, p < 0.05). Lindgomycetaceae P87 and C. geniculata P1 are dark septate endophytic fungi that endophytically colonize root cells of their host plants. The increase of host biomass correlated with the reduction of soil mercury concentration due to the metal bioaccumulation in host tissues and its possible volatilization. The soil mercury concentration was decreased by 7.69% and 57.14% in A. fluminensis plants inoculated with Lindgomycetaceae P87 + Aspergillus sp. A31 and Lindgomycetaceae P87, respectively (Dunnet's test, p < 0.05). The resistance mechanisms of mercury volatilization and bioaccumulation in plant tissues mediated by these endophytic fungi can contribute to bioremediation programs. The biochemical and genetic mechanisms involved in bioaccumulation and volatilization need to be elucidated in the future.

Optimization of NPK fertilization combined with phytoremediation of cadmium contaminated soil by orthogonal experiment

In the current experiment, influence of NPK composition on the Cd contaminated soil-plant (Solanum nigrum L.) system as well as the phytoremediation efficiency were comprehensively studied. The composition of NPK was optimized for a sustainable phytoremediation and simultaneous agronomic technique in Cd-contaminated soil by orthogonal (L₁₄) experiment, aimed to achieve plant productivity and maximum phytoremediation potential enhancement. Results showed that different treatments of NPK composition enhanced soil properties including saccharase, urease, catalase and acid phosphatase activities as compared to the control treatment, however, soil pH was slightly decreased by 3.64%~6.67% with different composition of NPK treatments. Plant biomass and Cd concentration in the aboveground part (stem and leaves) of S. nigrum were significantly (P < 0.05) enhanced by 14.19%~48.97% and 38.50%~127.15% as compared to control plants with the addition of NPK fertilizers having different composition. Meanwhile, with the application of NPK fertilizer root/shoot Cd ratio and translocation factor (TF) was significantly decreased, however, bioconcentration factor (BCF) was increased as compared to control. Additionally, different composition of NPK fertilizers significantly increased photosynthetic pigments (chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, total chlorophyll, and carotenoids) and soluble protein in comparison to control. The activities of antioxidant enzymes in S. nigrum including ascorbate peroxidase (APX), catalase (CAT), peroxidase (POD), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione reductase (GR) were increased, while malonaldehyde (MDA) and proline contents were decreased. Principal component analysis (PCA) showed that N₃P₂K₂ treatment had the highest comprehensive score amongst other studied treatments of NPK composition, owing to its optimal composition for the investigated soil-S. nigrum system. Moreover, it was found that optimal composition (N₃P₂K₂) of fertilizer resulted in increase of the plant resistance to Cd and the efficiency of phytoextraction. Therefore, it is suggested to all the small-holder famers and scientific community that precise composition of NPK fertilizer should be utilized according to soil properties, environmental conditions and plant requirements under Cd-stress condition in order to achieve maximum biomass, Cd uptake efficiency as well phytoremediation potential in moderately Cd contaminated soil.

Polyaspartate and liquid amino acid fertilizer are appropriate alternatives for promoting the phytoextraction of cadmium and lead in Solanum nigrum L

Traditional metal chelators, such as ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA), have been gradually replaced due to their poor biodegradability in soil and high risk of heavy metal leaching into groundwater, which pose high environmental risks to the health of humans and animals. In this study, a liquid amino acid fertilizer (LAAF, waste proteins from hydrolysates of animal carcasses) and polyaspartate (PASP) were used as additives to enhance the phytoextraction of cadmium (Cd) and lead (Pb) from contaminated soil. We conducted pot experiments to investigate the phytoextraction capacity of Solanum nigrum, a Cd accumulator, grown on soil highly contaminated with Cd and Pb in the absence (as controls) or presence of PASP and LAAF. Both PASP and LAAF significantly improved plant growth, Cd accumulation, and total Cd and Pb content in S. nigrum shoots and roots. PASP and LAAF application promoted Cd translocation from roots to shoots in S. nigrum and Cd bio-accessibility in rhizosphere soils, but this was not the case for Pb. Both PASP and LAAF increased Cd and Pb phytoextraction by S. nigrum plants, and Cd phytoextraction was more effective in LAAF-assisted S. nigrum than in PASP-assisted S. nigrum. These findings demonstrate that the low cost and ecofriendly features of recycled waste proteins make them good candidates for chelant-enhanced phytoextraction from heavy metal-contaminated soils.

Hyperaccumulation of Cd by Rorippa globosa (Turcz.) Thell. from soil enriched with different Cd compounds, and impact of soil amendment with glutathione (GSH) on the hyperaccumulation efficiency

Rorippa globosa (Turcz.) Thell. is known as Cd hyperaccumulator, however neither hyperaccumulation nature, nor affecting factors like the effect of Cd compounds entering soil from different sources, or of specific soil amendments, are not yet satisfactorily clarified. In the pot culture experiment, Cd accumulation by R. globosa from soils spiked with 3 and 9 mg Cd kg^-1 in the form of Cd(NO₃)₂, CdCl₂, CdBr₂, CdI₂, CdSO₄, CdF₂, Cd(OH)₂, CdCO₃, Cd₃(PO₄)₂, CdS and effect of soil amendment with glutathione (GSH) were investigated. Accumulation capacity of R. globosa for Cd appeared to reflect its extractability in soils and was about two-fold bigger for high soluble compounds than for low-soluble ones. At that, the differences between the accumulation of Cd originating from high soluble compound group did not exceed 20%, while the differences within the low soluble compound group were insignificant (p < 0.05). The analysis of Cd uptake, uptake factor (UF), enrichment factor (EF) and translocation factor (TF) patterns revealed that Cd hyperaccumulating properties of R. globosa are based on the high water/nutrients demand and strong tolerance to Cd, although weak protection against Cd uptake by root system was also observed. Amendment with GSH enhanced Cd availability to plant and its uptake from soil, but exerted no effect on Cd translocation in plants. In the light of the results, the use of R. globosa for phytoremediation of moderately polluted agricultural lands as forecrop or aftercrop, and the GSH-assisted phytoremediation of highly polluted post-industrial sites seem to be viable options.

Amelioration of heavy metal stress by endophytic Bacillus amyloliquefaciens RWL-1 in rice by regulating metabolic changes: potential for bacterial bioremediation

This study aimed to investigate the bioremediation efficiency of phytohormone-producing endophytic Bacillus amyloliquefaciens RWL-1 isolated from rice seeds. In this study, we tested RWL-1 against various heavy metals (Cu, Cr, Pb, and Cd). Among the tested heavy metals, RWL-1 showed the highest tolerance for Cu stress and we observed alterations in growth kinetics with various Cu concentrations (1, 2.5, and 5 mM). We confirmed the biosorption potential of RWL-1 by scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometry showing that Cu ions were adsorbed on RWL-1 cell surfaces. We further tested RWL-1 for its plant growth promoting and stress reliance efficiency in response to a dose-dependent increase in soil Cu (1, 2.5, and 5 mM). The RWL-1 inoculation significantly increased seedling biomass and growth attributes compared with non-inoculated control seedlings with and without Cu stress. Moreover, RWL-1 inoculation significantly promoted a physiochemical response in seedlings with and without Cu stress by reducing Cu uptake, improving carbohydrate levels (glucose, sucrose, fructose, and raffinose), enhancing amino acids regulation, and augmenting antioxidant levels (POD, PPO, and GHS). Levels of stress-responsive phytohormones such as abscisic acid (ABA) and jasmonic acid were significantly reduced in RWL-1-inoculated seedlings as compared with non-inoculated control seedlings under normal condition and same levels of Cu stress. In conclusion, the inoculation of B. amyloliquefaciens RWL-1 can significantly improve plant growth in Cu-contaminated soil and reduce metal accumulation, thus making plants safer for consumption. This approach could be tremendously helpful for safe and sustainable agriculture in heavy metal-contaminated areas.

Endophyte-assisted phytoremediation: mechanisms and current application strategies for soil mixed pollutants

Phytoremediation uses plants and associated microbes to remove pollutants from the environment and is considered a promising bioremediation method. Compared with well-described single contaminant treatments, the number of studies reporting phytoremediation of soil mixed pollutants has increased recently. Endophytes, including bacteria and fungi, exhibit beneficial traits for the promotion of plant growth, stress alleviation, and biodegradation. Moreover, endophytes either directly or indirectly assist host plants to survive high concentrations of organic and inorganic pollutants in the soil. Endophytic microorganisms can also regulate the plant metabolism in different ways, exhibiting a variety of physiological characteristics. This review summarizes the taxa and physiological properties of endophytic microorganisms that may participate in the detoxification of contaminant mixtures. Furthermore, potential biomolecules that may enhance endophyte mediated phytoremediation are discussed. The practical applications of pollutant-degrading endophytes and current strategies for applying this valuable bio-resource to soil phytoremediation are summarized.

Metal Resistant Endophytic Bacteria Reduces Cadmium, Nickel Toxicity, and Enhances Expression of Metal Stress Related Genes with Improved Growth of Oryza Sativa, via Regulating Its Antioxidant Machinery and Endogenous Hormones

The tolerance of plant growth-promoting endophytes (PGPEs) against various concentrations of cadmium (Cd) and nickel (Ni) was investigated. Two glutathione-producing bacterial strains (Enterobacter ludwigii SAK5 and Exiguobacterium indicum SA22) were screened for Cd and Ni accumulation and tolerance in contaminated media, which showed resistance up to 1.0 mM. Both strains were further evaluated by inoculating specific plants with the bacteria for five days prior to heavy metal treatment (0.5 and 1.0 mM). The enhancement of biomass and growth attributes such as the root length, shoot length, root fresh weight, shoot fresh weight, and chlorophyll content were compared between treated inoculated plants and treated non-inoculated plants. Both strains significantly increased the accumulation of Cd and Ni in inoculated plants. The accumulation of both heavy metals was higher in the roots than in the shoots, however; Ni accumulation was greater than Cd. Heavy metal stress-responsive genes such as OsGST, OsMTP1, and OsPCS1 were significantly upregulated in treated non-inoculated plants compared with treated inoculated plants, suggesting that both strains reduced heavy metal stress. Similarly, abscisic acid (ABA) was increased with increased heavy metal concentration; however, it was reduced in inoculated plants compared with non-inoculated plants. Salicylic acid (SA) was found to exert synergistic effects with ABA. The application of suitable endophytic bacteria can protect against heavy metal hyperaccumulation by enhancing detoxification mechanisms.

Potential of Solanum viarum Dunal in use for phytoremediation of heavy metals to mining areas, southern Brazil

Mining tailing areas may contain metal minerals such as Cu, Pb, Zn, Cr, and Cd at high concentrations and low nutrients for the growth of plants. This kind of conditions of the area, as well as lack of tailing structure, may limit the development of plants on these areas. Thus, the present study determined the metal, macronutrient, and micronutrient concentrations in the tissues of the roots and shoots of the Solanum viarum Dunal species as well as it evaluated the potential use of the plant for phytoremediation of mining tailing areas contaminated with heavy metals. The macronutrients, micronutrients, and heavy metals in the roots and shoots were determined by the digestion method with nitric and perchloric acid (HNO₃-HClO₄) and quantified by the ICP-OES. In S. viarum, the average concentrations of the metals presented in the dry biomass varied between the shoots and roots, being higher in the roots for metals such as Cu (229 mg kg^-1), Zn (232 mg kg^-1), Mn (251 mg kg^-1), Cr (382 mg kg^-1), Ni (178 mg kg^-1), Pb (33 mg kg^-1), and Ba (1123 mg kg^-1). S. viarum indicates the possibility of a potential application in phytoremediation and treatment of areas contaminated with heavy metals.

Are Fungal Endophytes Merely Mycorrhizal Copycats? The Role of Fungal Endophytes in the Adaptation of Plants to Metal Toxicity

The contamination of soil with toxic metals is a worldwide problem, resulting in the disruption of plant vegetation and subsequent crop production. Thus, remediation techniques for contaminated soil and water remain a constant interest of researchers. Phytoremediation, which utilizes plants to remove or stabilize contaminants, is perceived to be a promising strategy. However, phytoremediation's use to date is limited because of constraints associated with such factors as slow plant growth rates or metal toxicity. Microbial-assisted phytoremediation serves as an alternative solution, since the impact of the microbial symbionts on plant growth and stress tolerance has frequently been described. Endophytic fungi occur in almost every plant in the natural environment and contribute to plant growth and tolerance to environmental stress conditions. Although this group of symbiotic fungi was found to form association with a wide range of hosts, including the non-mycorrhizal Brassicaceae metallophytes, their role in the response of plants to metal toxicity has not been thoroughly elucidated to date. This review summarizes the current knowledge regarding the role of endophytic fungi in the tolerance of plants to toxic metals and highlights the similarities and differences between this group of symbiotic fungi and mycorrhizal associations in terms of the survival of the plant during heavy metal stress.

Bioremediation of hexavalent chromium by endophytic fungi; safe and improved production of Lactuca sativa L

One of the main problems of the industrialized world is the accumulation of chromium (Cr) in soil, which is a serious threat to the crops. Complete removal of Cr from the contaminated soils poses a great challenge. However, this issue can be minimised by using plant growth promoting microbes as a bioremediation tool. In the present study, healthy plants established near the University campus in Mardan were selected for the isolation of Cr resistant endophytes. From the designated plants, 114 species of endophytic fungi were isolated. Among the 114 isolated strains, 4 strains have induced resistance in L. sativa against Cr. The strains were identified as Aspergillus fumigatus, Rhizopus sp., Penicillium radicum and Fusarium proliferatum based on ITS region (18 S rDNA) homology. The isolates have removed Cr from soil and culture media as well as bio-transformed it from highly toxic hexavalent to least toxic trivalent form, thus helped the Cr stressed L. sativa to restore its normal growth. The Rhizopus Sp. CUC23 has mainly accrued Cr and detoxified intracellularly, whereas A. fumigatus ML43 and P. radicum PL17 has detoxified up to 95% of Cr extracellularly. From the results, it is concluded that the selected endophytic strains might be used as biofertilizer for healthy and safe crop production in Cr contaminated soils.

Screening of endophytic fungi stored in a culture collection for taxol production

In this work, four isolates of endophytic fungi (Alternaria alternata, Colletotrichum gloesporioides, Glomerella cingulata and Nigrospora sphaerica), deposited in the culture collection 'University Recife Mycologia' (URM) at the Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, were characterized for the genes ITS 1 and 4 (region 5.8 S) and evaluated for taxol production.

Applying β-cyclodextrin to amaranth inoculated with white-rot fungus for more efficient remediation of soil co-contaminated with Cd and BDE-209

A pot experiment was conducted to investigate the effect of a series of β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) concentrations on bioremediation of soil co-contaminated with Cd and BDE-209 using amaranth and the white-rot fungus Phanerochaete chrysosporium, with BDE-209 degrading ability. Results showed that the white-rot fungus was beneficial to the growth of amaranth, Cd uptake and BDE-209 degradation. Addition of β-CD further increased biomass of both shoots and roots, shoot Cd concentrations and contents, chlorophyll concentrations and soil manganese peroxidase (MnP) activities. Furthermore, well-organized mesophyll cells were observed in β-CD treatments, implying that the combination of white-rot fungus and β-CD can alleviate the stresses of Cd and BDE-209 to mesophyll cells. The BDE-209 degradation rate was positively correlated to β-CD concentration and MnP activity in soil. Our results also revealed that RF+β_0.8 treatment possessed the greatest Cd removal efficiency due to its well-configured mesophyll cells and the highest shoot biomass, chlorophyll concentration, and shoot Cd concentration. Considering simultaneous removal of Cd and BDE-209 from soil, using 0.8% β-CD to amaranth inoculated with white-rot fungus is a promising way forward for the phytoremediation of soil co-contaminated with Cd and BDE-209. A high percentage of mono-BDE was detected in inoculated amaranth, suggesting that BDE-209 was debrominated into low brominated PBDEs by the fungus in soil, which were then absorbed and further debrominated into mono-BDE in the plant.

Production of bioproducts by endophytic fungi: chemical ecology, biotechnological applications, bottlenecks, and solutions

Endophytes are microorganisms that colonize the interior of host plants without causing apparent disease. They have been widely studied for their ability to modulate relationships between plants and biotic/abiotic stresses, often producing valuable secondary metabolites that can affect host physiology. Owing to the advantages of microbial fermentation over plant/cell cultivation and chemical synthesis, endophytic fungi have received significant attention as a mean for secondary metabolite production. This article summarizes currently reported results on plant-endophyte interaction hypotheses and highlights the biotechnological applications of endophytic fungi and their metabolites in agriculture, environment, biomedicine, energy, and biocatalysts. Current bottlenecks in industrial development and commercial applications as well as possible solutions are also discussed.

A novel experimental system using the liverwort Marchantia polymorpha and its fungal endophytes reveals diverse and context-dependent effects

Fungal symbioses are ubiquitous in plants, but their effects have mostly been studied in seed plants. This study aimed to assess the diversity of fungal endophyte effects in a bryophyte and identify factors contributing to the variability of outcomes in these interactions. Fungal endophyte cultures and axenic liverwort clones were isolated from wild populations of the liverwort, Marchantia polymorpha. These collections were combined in a gnotobiotic system to test the effects of fungal isolates on the growth rates of hosts under laboratory conditions. Under the experimental conditions, fungi isolated from M. polymorpha ranged from aggressively pathogenic to strongly growth-promoting, but the majority of isolates caused no detectable change in host growth. Growth promotion by selected fungi depended on nutrient concentrations and was inhibited by coinoculation with multiple fungi. The M. polymorpha endophyte system expands the resources for this model liverwort. The experiments presented here demonstrate a wealth of diversity in fungal interactions even in a host reported to lack standard mycorrhizal symbiosis. In addition, they show that some known pathogens of vascular plants live in M. polymorpha and can confer benefits to this nonvascular host. This highlights the importance of studying endophyte effects across the plant tree of life.

Cadmium induced changes in Solidago chilensis Meyen (Asteraceae) grown on organically fertilized soil with reference to mycorrhizae, metabolism, anatomy and ultrastructure

Solidago chilensis Meyen (Asteraceae) is a medicinal important plant with few studies on nutrition and metabolism and none information on cadmium phytotoxicity. The objective of this study was to investigate Cd induced responses on the growth and metabolism in S. chilensis and on arbuscular mycorrhiza (AM). The experiment was carried out in a greenhouse, consisting of a 5 × 4 factorial with five doses of manure (0, 3.5, 7, 14 and 21gdm^-3) and four doses of cadmium (0, 25, 50 and 75mgdm^-3) applied to a Dystrophic Ultisol. After 250 days of plant cultivation, biomass, nutrient content, photosynthetic rate, guaiacol peroxidase activity, mycorrhizal colonization, glomalin content, anatomical and ultrastucture were evaluated. Plants were significantly affected by interaction of manure and Cd doses with anatomical, ultrastructural, physiological and nutritional modifications. Manure applied into Cd contaminated soil significantly improved mycorrhizal colonization and glomalin production. The highest organic manure dose (21gdm^-3) alleviated toxicity symptoms of Cd on S. chilensis.

Bioethanol production from recovered napier grass with heavy metals

Using plants to absorb and accumulate heavy metals from polluted soil, followed by the recycling of explants containing heavy metals, can help achieve the goal of reverting contaminated soil to low heavy-metal content soil. However, the re-use of recovered explants can also be problematic. Meanwhile, bioethanol has become a popular energy source. In this study, napier grass was used for the remediation of soil contaminated with heavy metals (artificially contaminated soil). The influence of bioethanol production from napier grass after phytoremediation was also investigated. The concentration of Zn, Cd, and Cr in the contaminated soil was 1000, 100, and 250 mg/kg, respectively. After napier grass phytoremediation, the concentration (dry biomass) of Zn, Cd, and Cr in the explants was 2701.97 ± 173.49, 6.1 ± 2.3, and 74.24 ± 1.42 mg/kg, respectively. Biomass production in the unpolluted soil was 861.13 ± 4.23 g. The biomass production ratio in high Zn-polluted soil was only 3.89%, while it was 4.68% for Cd and 21.4% for Cr. The biomass obtained after napier grass phytoremediation was pretreated using the steam explosion conditions of 180 °C, for 10 min, with 1.5% H₂SO₂, followed by enzymatic hydrolysis. The efficiency of enzymatic hydrolysis for Zn-polluted biomass was 90% of the unpolluted biomass, while it was 77% for Cd, and approximately the same for Cr. The fermentation efficiency of the heavy-metal-containing biomass was higher than the control biomass. The fermentation ethanol concentration obtained was 8.69-12.68, 13.03-15.50, and 18.48-19.31 g/L in Zn, Cd, and Cr environments, respectively. Results show that the heavy metals had a positive effect on bacteria fermentation. However, the fermentation efficiency was lower for biomass with severe heavy metal pollution. Thus, the utilization of napier grass phytoremediation for bioethanol production has a positive effect on the sustainability of environmental resources.