How do endophytes help plants?
Endophytes are microorganisms (bacteria or fungi or actinomycetes) that dwell within robust plant tissues by having a symbiotic association. They protect plants from herbivory by producing certain compounds which will prevent animals from further grazing on the same plant and sometimes act as biocontrol agents.
How do endophytes work?
Many endophytes protect plants from herbivory from both insects and animals by producing secondary metabolites that are either unappetizing or toxic to the herbivore. Increasingly there has been great importance placed on endophytes that protect valuable crops from invasive insects.
What is the role of bacteria on roots?
Root associated beneficial bacteria promote plant growth and provide protection from pathogens. They are mostly rhizobacteria that belong to Proteobacteria and Firmicutes, with many examples from Pseudomonas and Bacillus genera. Rhizobium species colonize legume roots forming nodule structures.
How do endophytes enter a plant?
Entry of Bacterial Endophytes into the Host Plant Openings in the roots where root hairs or lateral roots emerge, as well as stomata, wounds and hydathodes in the shoots are considered the main entry points that endophytes use to enter the host plant [4].
What do fungal endophytes do?
Fungal endophytes are extremely common and highly diverse microorganisms that live within plant tissues, but usually remain asymptomatic. Endophytes traditionally have been considered plant mutualists, mainly by reducing herbivory via production of mycotoxins, such as alkaloids.
How do endophytes benefit from grass?
The endophytic fungi and grass relationship can be mutualistic, antagonistic, or exhibit both characteristics . This includes enhanced herbivory resistance, fungal disease resistance, enhanced vegetative growth, and increased drought tolerance[1].
Where are endophytes found?
Endophytes live inside all plant species. They have been found in plants living on the sea, like green algae and plants that live on land, such as the dandelions growing near the sidewalk.
How are endophytes transmitted?
Bacteria living inside plant tissues as endophytes can be horizontally acquired from the environment with each new generation, or vertically transmitted from generation to generation via seed.
What is the role of bacteria in industry?
Bacteria are used in industry in a number of ways that generally exploit their natural metabolic capabilities. They are used in manufacture of foods and production of antibiotics, probiotics, drugs, vaccines, starter cultures, insecticides, enzymes, fuels and solvents.
What is the role of bacteria in the soil?
Most are decomposers that consume simple carbon compounds, such as root exudates and fresh plant litter. By this process, bacteria convert energy in soil organic matter into forms useful to the rest of the organisms in the soil food web. A number of decomposers can break down pesticides and pollutants in soil.
Why do we need to characterize bacterial endophytes?
Characterization of culturable bacterial endophytes and their capacity to promote plant growth from plants grown using organic or conventional practices. Plants have a diverse internal microbial biota that has been shown to have an important influence on a range of plant health attributes.
Where do endophytic fungi live?
Endophytic fungi live inside of plant tissues but don’t cause any disease symptoms. They are found in all plant species including deciduous trees, shrubs, marine algae, mosses, lichens, ferns, grasses and palms.