Context: Seven dark-septate endophytic (DSE) fungi have been isolated from the roots of Epimedium wushanense T. S. Ying (Berberidaceae), an important medicinal plant with various pharmacological activities.
Objective: The current study explores the effects of seven DSE fungi on the growth and accumulation of bioactive compounds in E. wushanense.
Materials and methods: Each 1-month-old E. wushanense seedling was inoculated with one of the seven DSE fungi and was grown under greenhouse conditions for 90 d. The molecular identification of the fungi was based on the ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 nuclear ribosomal gene cluster.
Results: The results showed that the influence of DSE fungi inoculation varied between strains. Inoculation with DSE8 not only significantly enhanced plant height, root length, leaf area, leaf number, and shoot and root biomass but also improved the total flavonoid and icariin content, with an increase ranging from 20.24% to 237.97%. Three of the seven DSE fungi caused the inoculated plants to die, and the remaining three DSE strains showed neutral or negative effects on plant growth and the accumulation of bioactive compounds. According to the ITS sequence, DSE8 is congeneric to the genus Leptodontidium.
Discussion and conclusion: The findings indicate that application of DSE8 may be valuable to facilitate the cultivation of E. wushanense with a higher biomass and improved medicinal quality.
Keywords: Classification and identification; dark septate endophytes (DSE); icariin; total flavonoids.