The drought sensitivity of the pedunculate oak (Quercus robur L.) poses a threat to its survival in light of climate change. Mycorrhizal fungi, which orchestrate biogeochemical cycles and particularly have an impact on the plant's defense mechanisms and metabolism of carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus, are among the microbes that play a significant role in the mitigation of the effects of climate change on trees. The study's main objectives were to determine whether ectomycorrhizal (ECM) fungi alleviate the effects of drought stress in pedunculate oak and to investigate their priming properties. The effects of two levels of drought (mild and severe, corresponding to 60% and 30% of field capacity, respectively) on the biochemical response of pedunculate oak were examined in the presence and absence of ectomycorrhizal fungi. To examine whether the ectomycorrhizal fungi modulate the drought tolerance of pedunculate oak, levels of plant hormones and polyamines were quantified using UPLC-TQS and HPLC-FD techniques in addition to gas exchange measurements and the main osmolyte amounts (glycine betaine-GB and proline-PRO) which were determined spectrophotometrically. Droughts increased the accumulation of osmolytes, such as proline and glycine betaine, as well as higher polyamines (spermidine and spermine) levels and decreased putrescine levels in both, mycorrhized and non-mycorrhized oak seedlings. In addition to amplifying the response of oak to severe drought in terms of inducible proline and abscisic acid (ABA) levels, inoculation with ECM fungi significantly increased the constitutive levels of glycine betaine, spermine, and spermidine regardless of drought stress. This study found that compared to non-mycorrhized oak seedlings, unstressed ECM-inoculated oak seedlings had higher levels of salicylic (SA) and abscisic acid (ABA) but not jasmonic acid (JA), indicating a priming mechanism of ECM is conveyed via these plant hormones. According to a PCA analysis, the effect of drought was linked to the variability of parameters along the PC1 axe, such as osmolytes PRO, GB, polyamines, and plant hormones such as JA, JA-Ile, SAG, and SGE, whereas mycorrhization was more closely associated with the parameters gathered around the PC2 axe (SA, ODPA, ABA, and E). These findings highlight the beneficial function of the ectomycorrhizal fungi, in particular Scleroderma citrinum, in reducing the effects of drought stress in pedunculate oak.
Keywords: drought; ectomycorrhizal fungi; osmolytes; pedunculate oak; plant hormones; polyamines.