{"title":"Analysing seed endophytes for biotechnology.","authors":"A. Bergna, T. Cernava, C. Zachow, G. Berg","doi":"10.1079/9781786399427.0042","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1079/9781786399427.0042","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract\u0000 Seed endophytes play a crucial role during the entire life cycle of plants due to their ability to promote germination and plant growth and provide defence against biotic and abiotic stress. The increasing interest related to these microorganisms for applications in sustainable agriculture requires the use of a wide spectrum of techniques to investigate their ecological role and to exploit their biotechnological potential. While the isolation of microorganisms is the most straightforward method to characterize and select microorganisms, molecular techniques represent an advantageous option for the discovery and tracking of uncultivable microbial species. This chapter shows that the concomitant employment of cultivation-dependent and cultivation-independent techniques represents the most sophisticated approach for the study of endophytic communities. In addition to a general assessment of developments in this field, the most frequently used tools are described in detail. Moreover, their possible integration as shown in various studies targeting seed endophytes is highlighted. We expect that novel products for biotechnology will become more feasible in the future due to the recent technological and methodological developments.","PeriodicalId":149927,"journal":{"name":"Endophyte biotechnology: potential for agriculture and pharmacology","volume":"76 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1900-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"131951829","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Endophytes as novel pest control agents: myth or reality?","authors":"A. Gange, A. F. Currie, J. Spong","doi":"10.1079/9781786399427.0068","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1079/9781786399427.0068","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract\u0000 Endophytic fungi are ubiquitous in nature and their potential for pest control in grassland systems is well understood. However, their role as novel pest control agents in herbaceous crops is far less clear. These fungi can be broadly split into two groups: unspecialized species (including saprotrophs and latent pathogens) and entomopathogens. The literature on the interactions of these fungi with herbivorous insects is biased towards studies in a few plant families and with a few insect species. This fact notwithstanding, we suggest that infection of plants by these fungi elicits dramatic chemical changes within their hosts, which have the potential to reduce insect and pathogen attack. However, the effects of fungal infection on insects are context-specific, being influenced by the identity of the insect and plant, the existing community of fungi within a plant, the habitat in which it is growing and the plant age. Unspecialized endophytes can reduce the performance of sucking insects, but effects are only seen when seeds are inoculated. This result may reflect poor experimental technique but corresponds well to fungal biology, as these endophytes can be transmitted through seeds from one plant generation to the next. Endophytic entomopathogens show more consistent detrimental effects on insects and plant pathogens and can even provide growth benefits in the absence of antagonists. We conclude that a better understanding of the biochemical and molecular changes elicited by endophytes in plants is required, so that these can be harnessed in future pest control strategies. Endophytes will not replace conventional pesticides in the near future, but could be incorporated into future integrated control programmes, thereby reducing the reliance on synthetic chemicals.","PeriodicalId":149927,"journal":{"name":"Endophyte biotechnology: potential for agriculture and pharmacology","volume":"427 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1900-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"122522523","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}