AUTHOR=Vergara Carlos , Araujo Karla E. C. , Urquiaga Segundo , Schultz Nivaldo , Balieiro Fabiano de Carvalho , Medeiros Peter S. , Santos Leandro A. , Xavier Gustavo R. , Zilli Jerri E. TITLE=Dark Septate Endophytic Fungi Help Tomato to Acquire Nutrients from Ground Plant Material JOURNAL=Frontiers in Microbiology VOLUME=8 YEAR=2017 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/microbiology/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2017.02437 DOI=10.3389/fmicb.2017.02437 ISSN=1664-302X ABSTRACT=
Dark septate endophytic (DSE) fungi are facultative biotrophs that associate with hundreds of plant species, contributing to their growth. These fungi may therefore aid in the search for sustainable agricultural practices. However, several ecological functions of DSE fungi need further clarification. The present study investigated the effects of DSE fungi inoculation on nutrient recovery efficiency, nutrient accumulation, and growth of tomato plants fertilized with organic and inorganic N sources. Two experiments were carried out under greenhouse conditions in a randomized blocks design, with five replicates of tomato seedlings grown in pots filled with non-sterile sandy soil. Tomato seedlings (cv. Santa Clara I-5300) inoculated with DSE fungi (isolates A101, A104, and A105) and without DSE fungi (control) were transplanted to pots filled with 12 kg of soil which had previously received finely ground plant material [