Abstract
Introduction Dark septate endophytes (DSE) are root-associated fungi that can enhance host stress tolerance, yet their diversity and function in sorghum remain unclear. Here, we investigated the culturable DSE community across 29 sorghum varieties and evaluated the symbiotic potential of key isolates. Methods Culturable DSE were isolated from sorghum rhizosphere soil and roots via plate isolation, microscopy, and colonization assessment to screen efficient colonizers. Pot experiments then analyzed symbiotic compatibility with major Chinese cultivars to identify strains with high colonization efficiency. Finally, the selected strain was evaluated for salt tolerance and its effects on drought resistance, growth promotion, and low-fertility tolerance in seedlings. Results and discussion A total of 94 DSE isolates were obtained, accounting for 30.72% of the total fungal isolates, and were classified into 30 morphotypes. The genus Alternaria emerged as the dominant group, comprising 46.67% of the isolates. Among them, strain HN16G1, isolated from Hongnuo 16 and identified as Alternaria destruens via internal transcribed spacer sequencing, demonstrated superior root colonization capability. Strain HN16G1 established stable symbiosis with all 10 commercial cultivars tested, maintaining colonization rates and intensities above 50.0 and 16.0%, respectively. Physiologically, HN16G1 exhibited moderate halotolerance, with low NaCl concentrations (0.1–0.2 mol/L) promoting mycelial growth, whereas high salt stress (0.6 mol/L) induced adaptive responses including enhanced sporulation and reduced hyphal septal distance. The strain also displayed substantial indole-3-acetic acid production, reaching 181.56 μg/mL. Inoculation with HN16G1 (5.0 × 10 5 CFU/mL) significantly improved seedling emergence and early vegetative growth in sorghum under combined drought stress (40% field capacity) and low-nutrient conditions. Notably, varieties “Hongnuo 16” and “Jinnuo 3” exhibited the most pronounced responses, with growth parameters approaching optimal levels. Colonization parameters (rate and intensity) correlated positively with plant height, root length, and biomass. Overall, these findings highlight the rich DSE diversity in sorghum roots and identify A. destruens HN16G1 as a broad-compatibility, multifunctional endophyte with promising potential for the development of microbial inoculants to enhance stress tolerance in sorghum production systems.
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Claims 16
Claim · model-written summary
The sorghum survey yielded 94 DSE isolates, 30.72% of fungal isolates, in 30 morphotypes.
- Interactor
- DSEe0symbiont
- Outcome
- DSE isolates were obtainede0
- Value
- 94 DSE isolatese0
- Qualifier
- 30.72% of the total fungal isolatese0
SorghumOrganisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“from sorghum roots”
e0“A total of 94 DSE isolates were obtained, accounting for 30.72% of the total fungal isolates, and were classified into 30 morphotypes.”
Claim · model-written summary
Alternaria was the dominant DSE genus at 46.67% of isolates.
- Interactor
- Alternaria
Alternariae0symbiont - Outcome
- dominant groupe0
- Value
- 46.67%e0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“from sorghum roots”
e0“The genus Alternaria emerged as the dominant group, comprising 46.67% of the isolates.”
Claim · model-written summary
HN16G1 from Hongnuo 16 was identified as Alternaria destruens.
- Material
- Hongnuo 16e0
- Interactor
- Alternaria destruensAlternaria destruense0symbiont
- Outcome
- identified as Alternaria destruense0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“from sorghum roots”
e0“strain HN16G1, isolated from Hongnuo 16 and identified as Alternaria destruens via internal transcribed spacer sequencing”
Claim · model-written summary
HN16G1 had superior sorghum root colonization capability.
- Interactor
- Alternaria destruensAlternaria destruense1symbiont
- Outcome
- root colonization capabilitye0
- Direction
- superiore0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“sorghum roots”
e0“demonstrated superior root colonization capability.”
e1“strain HN16G1, isolated from Hongnuo 16 and identified as Alternaria destruens”
Claim · model-written summary
HN16G1 formed stable symbiosis with all 10 tested commercial cultivars.
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“from sorghum roots”
e0“Strain HN16G1 established stable symbiosis with all 10 commercial cultivars tested”
Claim · model-written summary
HN16G1 colonization rates exceeded 50.0%.
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“from sorghum roots”
e0“maintaining colonization rates and intensities above 50.0 and 16.0%, respectively.”
e1“Strain HN16G1 established stable symbiosis”
Claim · model-written summary
HN16G1 colonization intensity exceeded 16.0%.
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“from sorghum roots”
e0“maintaining colonization rates and intensities above 50.0 and 16.0%, respectively.”
e1“Strain HN16G1 established stable symbiosis”
Claim · model-written summary
Low NaCl concentrations promoted HN16G1 mycelial growth.
- Treatment
- low NaCl concentrations (0.1–0.2 mol/L)e0
- Interactor
- HN16G1e1symbiont
- Outcome
- mycelial growthe0
- Direction
- promotinge0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“from sorghum roots”
e0“low NaCl concentrations (0.1–0.2 mol/L) promoting mycelial growth”
e1“HN16G1 exhibited moderate halotolerance”
Claim · model-written summary
High salt stress enhanced HN16G1 sporulation.
- Treatment
- high salt stress (0.6 mol/L)e0
- Interactor
- HN16G1e1symbiont
- Outcome
- sporulatione0
- Direction
- enhancede0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“from sorghum roots”
e0“high salt stress (0.6 mol/L) induced adaptive responses including enhanced sporulation and reduced hyphal septal distance”
e1“HN16G1 exhibited moderate halotolerance”
Claim · model-written summary
High salt stress reduced HN16G1 hyphal septal distance.
- Treatment
- high salt stress (0.6 mol/L)e0
- Interactor
- HN16G1e1symbiont
- Outcome
- hyphal septal distancee0
- Direction
- reducede0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“from sorghum roots”
e0“high salt stress (0.6 mol/L) induced adaptive responses including enhanced sporulation and reduced hyphal septal distance”
e1“HN16G1 exhibited moderate halotolerance”
Claim · model-written summary
HN16G1 produced indole-3-acetic acid at 181.56 μg/mL.
- Interactor
- HN16G1e1symbiont
- Outcome
- indole-3-acetic acid productione0
- Direction
- reachinge0
- Value
- 181.56 μg/mLe0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“from sorghum roots”
e0“The strain also displayed substantial indole-3-acetic acid production, reaching 181.56 μg/mL.”
e1“HN16G1 exhibited moderate halotolerance”
Claim · model-written summary
HN16G1 inoculation significantly improved sorghum seedling emergence under combined drought and low nutrients.
- Treatment
- Inoculation with HN16G1 (5.0 × 10 5 CFU/mL)e0
- Interactor
- HN16G1e0symbiont
- Outcome
- seedling emergencee0
- Direction
- improvede0
- Qualifier
- combined drought stress (40% field capacity) and low-nutrient conditionse0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Inoculation with HN16G1 (5.0 × 10 5 CFU/mL) significantly improved seedling emergence and early vegetative growth in sorghum under combined drought stress (40% field capacity) and low-nutrient conditions.”
Claim · model-written summary
HN16G1 inoculation significantly improved sorghum early vegetative growth under combined drought and low nutrients.
- Treatment
- Inoculation with HN16G1 (5.0 × 10 5 CFU/mL)e0
- Interactor
- HN16G1e0symbiont
- Outcome
- early vegetative growthe0
- Direction
- improvede0
- Qualifier
- combined drought stress (40% field capacity) and low-nutrient conditionse0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Inoculation with HN16G1 (5.0 × 10 5 CFU/mL) significantly improved seedling emergence and early vegetative growth in sorghum under combined drought stress (40% field capacity) and low-nutrient conditions.”
Claim · model-written summary
Hongnuo 16 had one of the most pronounced growth responses to HN16G1.
- Material
- Hongnuo 16e0
- Interactor
- HN16G1e1symbiont
- Outcome
- growth parameterse0
- Direction
- approaching optimal levelse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“from sorghum roots”
e0“varieties “Hongnuo 16” and “Jinnuo 3” exhibited the most pronounced responses, with growth parameters approaching optimal levels.”
e1“Inoculation with HN16G1 (5.0 × 10 5 CFU/mL)”
Claim · model-written summary
Jinnuo 3 had one of the most pronounced growth responses to HN16G1.
- Material
- Jinnuo 3e0
- Interactor
- HN16G1e1symbiont
- Outcome
- growth parameterse0
- Direction
- approaching optimal levelse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“from sorghum roots”
e0“varieties “Hongnuo 16” and “Jinnuo 3” exhibited the most pronounced responses, with growth parameters approaching optimal levels.”
e1“Inoculation with HN16G1 (5.0 × 10 5 CFU/mL)”
Claim · model-written summary
Colonization rate and intensity correlated positively with sorghum plant height, root length, and biomass.
- Interactor
- HN16G1e1symbiont
- Outcome
- plant height, root length, and biomasse0
- Direction
- correlated positivelye0
- Qualifier
- Colonization parameters (rate and intensity)e0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“from sorghum roots”
e0“Colonization parameters (rate and intensity) correlated positively with plant height, root length, and biomass.”
e1“Inoculation with HN16G1 (5.0 × 10 5 CFU/mL)”
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