A plant-growth-promoting sterile fungus from wheat and rye-grass roots with potential for suppressing take-all

Abstract

The occurrence of a sterile red fungus in the roots of wheat (Triticum aestivum) and rye-grass (Lolium rigidum) and its effect on the hosts in the presence and absence of the take-all fungus (Gaeumannomyces graminis var. tritici) was investigated. The fungus produced clamp connexions, hyphal strands and swellings. It was recovered most frequently from roots of hosts at seedling and tillering stages subjected to surface sterilization by 1.25% NaOCl. Inoculation with this fungus resulted in increased fresh shoot and root weight of wheat in non-sterilized soil and of rye-grass in sterilized and non-sterilized soil. It also increased root lengths of both hosts in sterilized and non-sterilized soils The sterile fungus provided significant protection to the hosts from infection by the take-all fungus in sterilized and non-sterilized soil.