Effects of Neotyphodium endophyte and AMF on Hordeum brevisubulatum growth

Neotyphodium/Epichloё endophytes not only enhance plant resistance to biotic and abiotic stress, but also have the positive effect on the growth of the host grass. Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi (AMF) can improve plant mineral nutrition especially P uptake and storage. We found that both Neotyphodium endophyte and AMF coexisted in Hordeum brevisubulatum. In this study, endophyte-infected (E+) and endophyte-free (E-), and AMF-infected (M+) and AMF-free (M-) H.brevisubulatum was established for this study. The results demonstrated that AMF colonization was significantly inhibited by the grass endophyte. The above-ground biomass of H.brevisubulatum was significantly increased by endophytes, while the root biomass was significantly increased by AMF. The content of total N for plant infected endophyte or AMF alone was significantly higher than both fungi infected. The effect of P accumulation caused by AMF was inhibited by grass endophyte.