Fungal endophyte diversity inPaspalumand effects on plant growth

In natural ecosystems, plants appear to be in symbiosis with diverse fungal endophytes which can have impacts on plant communities.Paspalumis one of the most important grass genera in South American grasslands. The aim of this work was to determine the presence of fungal endophytes in twoPaspalumspecies and evaluate their effects on plant growth. Sixty plant samples were collected forPaspalum notatumin a rangeland in northeastern Argentina, and the same number forPaspalum dilatatumin central Argentina. A triple-sterilization process was carried out by submerging small pieces of leaves and stems for the isolation of fungi from the collected plants. In order to identify endophytes, morphological characters and fungal sequences corresponding to the ITS (Internal Transcribed Spacer) region were analysed. A total of eight genera were identified:Acremonium,Alternaria,Aspergillus,Bipolaris,Cladosporium,Fusarium,PenicilliumandTrichoderma. A greenhouse trial was conducted to determine the effects of fungal endophytes on growth.Trichodermasignificantly increased relative chlorophyll content inP. notatumandAcremoniumendophytes increased tiller number, and above- and below-ground biomass inP. dilatatum. The diversity of fungal endophytes that was present inP. notatumandP. dilatatumwas described. In conclusion, some aspects of growth of thesePaspalumspecies seem to be positively affected byTrichodermaandAcremonium.