Abstract
Aspergillus flavus infection of vegetative tissues can affect the development and integrity of the plant and poses dangerous risks on human and animal health. Thus, safe and easily applied approaches are employed to inhibit A. flavus growth. To this end, the fungal endophyte, i.e., Aspergillus fumigatus, was used as a safe biocontrol agent to reduce the growth of A. flavus and its infection in maize seedlings. Interestingly, the safe endophytic A. fumigatus exhibited antifungal activity (e.g., 77% of growth inhibition) against A. flavus. It also reduced the creation of aflatoxins, particularly aflatoxin B1 (AFB1, 90.9%). At plant level, maize seedling growth, leaves and root anatomy and the changes in redox status were estimated. Infected seeds treated with A. fumigatus significantly improved the germination rate by 88.53%. The ultrastructure of the infected leaves showed severe disturbances in the internal structures, such as lack of differentiation in cells, cracking, and lysis in the cell wall and destruction in the nucleus semi-lysis of chloroplasts. Ultrastructure observations indicated that A. fumigatus treatment increased maize (leaf and root) cell wall thickness that consequentially reduced the invasion of the pathogenic A. flavus. It was also interesting that the infected seedlings recovered after being treated with A. fumigatus, as it was observed in growth characteristics and photosynthetic pigments. Moreover, infected maize plants showed increased oxidative stress (lipid peroxidation and H2O2), which was significantly mitigated by A. fumigatus treatment. This mitigation was at least partially explained by inducing the antioxidant defense system, i.e., increased phenols and proline levels (23.3 and 31.17%, respectively) and POD, PPO, SOD and CAT enzymes activity (29.50, 57.58, 32.14 and 29.52%, respectively). Overall, our study suggests that endophytic A. fumigatus treatment could be commercially used for the safe control of aflatoxins production and for inducing biotic stress tolerance of A. flavus-infected maize plants.
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Claims 15
Claim · model-written summary
The endophyte inhibited Aspergillus flavus growth by 77%.
- Treatment
- A. fumigatuse0
- Interactor
- A. flavus
Aspergillus flavuse0pathogen - Second interactor
- A. fumigatus
_(6500080065).jpg?width=60)
Aspergillus fumigatuse0biocontrol_agent - Outcome
- growth inhibitione0
- Direction
- inhibitione0
- Value
- 77%e0
Zea maysNot reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
_(6500080065).jpg?width=500)
Verbatim
e0“A. fumigatus exhibited antifungal activity (e.g., 77% of growth inhibition) against A. flavus”
t0“Zea mays L.”
Claim · model-written summary
Endophyte treatment improved germination of infected maize seeds by 88.53%.
- Treatment
- treated with A. fumigatuse0
- Interactor
- A. fumigatusAspergillus fumigatuse0biocontrol_agent
- Outcome
- germination ratee0
- Direction
- improvede0
- Value
- 88.53%e0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Infected seeds treated with A. fumigatus significantly improved the germination rate by 88.53%”
t0“Zea mays L.”
Claim · model-written summary
Infected leaves had severe ultrastructural disturbances.
- Organ / stage
- leavese0
- Interactor
- Aspergillus flavusAspergillus flavust1pathogen
- Outcome
- severe disturbances in the internal structurese0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“The ultrastructure of the infected leaves showed severe disturbances in the internal structures, such as lack of differentiation in cells, cracking, and lysis in the cell wall and destruction in the nucleus semi-lysis of chloroplasts”
t0“Zea mays L.”
t1“Aspergillus flavus”
Claim · model-written summary
Endophyte treatment increased maize leaf and root cell wall thickness.
- Organ / stage
- leaf and roote0
- Treatment
- A. fumigatus treatmente0
- Interactor
- A. fumigatusAspergillus fumigatuse0biocontrol_agent
- Outcome
- cell wall thicknesse0
- Direction
- increasede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“A. fumigatus treatment increased maize (leaf and root) cell wall thickness”
t0“Zea mays L.”
Claim · model-written summary
The authors attribute reduced pathogen invasion to thicker cell walls.
- Interactor
- A. flavusAspergillus flavuse0pathogen
- Outcome
- invasion of the pathogenic A. flavuse0
- Qualifier
- cell wall thicknesse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“cell wall thickness that consequentially reduced the invasion of the pathogenic A. flavus”
t0“Zea mays L.”
Claim · model-written summary
Endophyte treated infected seedlings recovered in growth characteristics and photosynthetic pigments.
- Treatment
- treated with A. fumigatuse0
- Interactor
- A. fumigatusAspergillus fumigatuse0biocontrol_agent
- Outcome
- growth characteristics and photosynthetic pigmentse0
- Direction
- recoverede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“the infected seedlings recovered after being treated with A. fumigatus, as it was observed in growth characteristics and photosynthetic pigments”
t0“Zea mays L.”
Claim · model-written summary
Infection increased lipid peroxidation and H2O2 in maize.
- Interactor
- Aspergillus flavusAspergillus flavust1pathogen
- Outcome
- oxidative stress (lipid peroxidation and H2O2)e0
- Direction
- increasede0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“infected maize plants showed increased oxidative stress (lipid peroxidation and H2O2)”
t0“Zea mays L.”
t1“Aspergillus flavus”
Claim · model-written summary
Endophyte treatment significantly mitigated infection-associated oxidative stress.
- Treatment
- A. fumigatus treatmente0
- Interactor
- A. fumigatusAspergillus fumigatuse0biocontrol_agent
- Outcome
- oxidative stresse0
- Direction
- mitigatede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“infected maize plants showed increased oxidative stress (lipid peroxidation and H2O2), which was significantly mitigated by A. fumigatus treatment”
t0“Zea mays L.”
Claim · model-written summary
Endophyte treatment raised phenols by 23.3%.
- Treatment
- A. fumigatus treatmente1
- Interactor
- A. fumigatusAspergillus fumigatuse1biocontrol_agent
- Outcome
- phenolse0
- Direction
- increasede0
- Value
- 23.3e0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“increased phenols and proline levels (23.3 and 31.17%, respectively)”
t0“Zea mays L.”
e1“A. fumigatus treatment increased maize (leaf and root) cell wall thickness”
Claim · model-written summary
Endophyte treatment raised proline by 31.17%.
- Treatment
- A. fumigatus treatmente1
- Interactor
- A. fumigatusAspergillus fumigatuse1biocontrol_agent
- Outcome
- proline levelse0
- Direction
- increasede0
- Value
- 31.17%e0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“increased phenols and proline levels (23.3 and 31.17%, respectively)”
t0“Zea mays L.”
e1“A. fumigatus treatment increased maize (leaf and root) cell wall thickness”
Claim · model-written summary
Endophyte treatment increased POD activity by 29.50%.
- Treatment
- A. fumigatus treatmente1
- Interactor
- A. fumigatusAspergillus fumigatuse1biocontrol_agent
- Gene
- PODe0
- Outcome
- PODe0
- Direction
- increasede2
- Value
- 29.50e0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“POD, PPO, SOD and CAT enzymes activity (29.50, 57.58, 32.14 and 29.52%, respectively)”
t0“Zea mays L.”
e1“A. fumigatus treatment increased maize (leaf and root) cell wall thickness”
e2“increased phenols and proline levels”
Claim · model-written summary
Endophyte treatment increased PPO activity by 57.58%.
- Treatment
- A. fumigatus treatmente1
- Interactor
- A. fumigatusAspergillus fumigatuse1biocontrol_agent
- Gene
- PPOe0
- Outcome
- PPOe0
- Direction
- increasede2
- Value
- 57.58e0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“POD, PPO, SOD and CAT enzymes activity (29.50, 57.58, 32.14 and 29.52%, respectively)”
t0“Zea mays L.”
e1“A. fumigatus treatment increased maize (leaf and root) cell wall thickness”
e2“increased phenols and proline levels”
Claim · model-written summary
Endophyte treatment increased SOD activity by 32.14%.
- Treatment
- A. fumigatus treatmente1
- Interactor
- A. fumigatusAspergillus fumigatuse1biocontrol_agent
- Gene
- SODe0
- Outcome
- SODe0
- Direction
- increasede2
- Value
- 32.14e0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“POD, PPO, SOD and CAT enzymes activity (29.50, 57.58, 32.14 and 29.52%, respectively)”
t0“Zea mays L.”
e1“A. fumigatus treatment increased maize (leaf and root) cell wall thickness”
e2“increased phenols and proline levels”
Claim · model-written summary
Endophyte treatment increased CAT activity by 29.52%.
- Treatment
- A. fumigatus treatmente1
- Interactor
- A. fumigatusAspergillus fumigatuse1biocontrol_agent
- Gene
- CATe0
- Outcome
- CATe0
- Direction
- increasede2
- Value
- 29.52%e0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“POD, PPO, SOD and CAT enzymes activity (29.50, 57.58, 32.14 and 29.52%, respectively)”
t0“Zea mays L.”
e1“A. fumigatus treatment increased maize (leaf and root) cell wall thickness”
e2“increased phenols and proline levels”
Claim · model-written summary
The authors propose commercial use of the endophyte for aflatoxin control and biotic stress tolerance.
- Interactor
- A. flavusAspergillus flavuse0pathogen
- Second interactor
- A. fumigatusAspergillus fumigatuse0biocontrol_agent
- Outcome
- safe control of aflatoxins production and for inducing biotic stress tolerancee0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“endophytic A. fumigatus treatment could be commercially used for the safe control of aflatoxins production and for inducing biotic stress tolerance of A. flavus-infected maize plants”
t0“Zea mays L.”
The same questions in other papers
solarization · Aspergillus flavus · Zea mays (maize)Results agree
1 paper in the same direction as this paper
- positive
solarization · Aspergillus fumigatus · Zea mays (maize)Results agree
1 paper in the same direction as this paper
- positive
Claims are grouped by organism, treatment and what was measured or targeted. A paper counts as positive when any of its claims in the group is positive.