Sangam: A Confluence of Knowledge Streams

A Beneficial Plant-Associated Fungus Shifts the Balance toward Plant Growth over Resistance, Increasing Cucumber Tolerance to Root Herbivory

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dc.creator Rivera-Vega, Loren J.
dc.creator Grunseich, John M.
dc.creator Aguirre, Natalie M.
dc.creator Valencia, Cesar U.
dc.creator Sword, Gregory A.
dc.creator Helms, Anjel M.
dc.date 2022-02-11T16:11:37Z
dc.date 2022-02-11T16:11:37Z
dc.date 2022-01-21
dc.date 2022-02-11T14:46:12Z
dc.date.accessioned 2023-03-01T18:43:27Z
dc.date.available 2023-03-01T18:43:27Z
dc.identifier Rivera-Vega, L.J.; Grunseich, J.M.; Aguirre, N.M.; Valencia, C.U.; Sword, G.A.; Helms, A.M. A Beneficial Plant-Associated Fungus Shifts the Balance toward Plant Growth over Resistance, Increasing Cucumber Tolerance to Root Herbivory. Plants 2022, 11, 282.
dc.identifier http://hdl.handle.net/10919/108299
dc.identifier https://doi.org/10.3390/plants11030282
dc.identifier.uri http://localhost:8080/xmlui/handle/CUHPOERS/280643
dc.description Plants allocate their limited resources toward different physiological processes, dynamically adjusting their resource allocation in response to environmental changes. How beneficial plant-associated microbes influence this allocation is a topic that continues to interest plant biologists. In this study, we examined the effect of a beneficial fungus, <i>Phialemonium inflatum,</i> on investment in growth and anti-herbivore resistance traits in cucumber plants (<i>Cucumis sativus</i>). We inoculated cucumber seeds with <i>P. inflatum</i> spores and measured several growth parameters, including germination rate, above and belowground biomass, and number of flowers. We also examined plant resistance to adult and larval striped cucumber beetles (<i>Acalymma vitattum</i>), and quantified levels of defense hormones in leaves and roots. Our results indicate that <i>P. inflatum</i> strongly enhances cucumber plant growth and reproductive potential. Although fungus treatment did not improve plant resistance to cucumber beetles, inoculated plants were more tolerant to root herbivory, experiencing less biomass reduction. Together, these findings document how a beneficial plant-associated fungus shifts plant investment in growth over herbivore resistance, highlighting the importance of microbes in mediating plant-herbivore interactions. These findings also have important implications for agricultural systems, where beneficial microbes are often introduced or managed to promote plant growth or enhance resistance.
dc.description Published version
dc.format application/pdf
dc.format application/pdf
dc.language en
dc.publisher MDPI
dc.rights Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
dc.rights http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
dc.title A Beneficial Plant-Associated Fungus Shifts the Balance toward Plant Growth over Resistance, Increasing Cucumber Tolerance to Root Herbivory
dc.title Plants
dc.type Article - Refereed
dc.type Text


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