Effects of Drought Stress on Peramine and Lolitrem B in Epichloë-Endophyte-Infected Perennial Ryegrass

Weihu Lin; Chengfen Gao; Jianjun Wang; Wenbo Xu; Meining Wang; Miaomiao Li; Bihua Ma; Pei Tian

doi:10.3390/life12081207

Effects of Drought Stress on Peramine and Lolitrem B in Epichloë-Endophyte-Infected Perennial Ryegrass

Life (Basel). 2022 Aug 8;12(8):1207. doi: 10.3390/life12081207.

Authors

Weihu Lin^{1

2}, Chengfen Gao³, Jianjun Wang¹, Wenbo Xu¹, Meining Wang¹, Miaomiao Li¹, Bihua Ma¹, Pei Tian¹

Affiliations

¹ State Key Laboratory of Grassland Agro-Ecosystems, Key Laboratory of Grassland Livestock Industry Innovation, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, College of Pastoral Agriculture Science and Technology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730020, China.
² Institute of Rural Development, Gansu Provincial Academy of Social Sciences, Lanzhou 730071, China.
³ Gansu Grassland Technical Extension Station, Lanzhou 730010, China.

Abstract

Perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne) infected by Epichloë endophytes contains alkaloids that are responsible for toxicosis in many countries. Drought may greatly affect the alkaloids contents of symbionts. The E+ perennial ryegrass was grown in pots with different soil moisture conditions (15%, 30%, 45% and 60% relative saturation moisture content, RSMC) for four months in a greenhouse of Lanzhou University, and then, the aboveground tissues were collected. The levels of peramine and lolitrem B in all plant samples were determined. The results showed that the drought stress significantly (p < 0.05) increased the peramine concentrations of perennial ryegrass but did not affect the lolitrem B concentrations. In addition, the drought stress significantly (p < 0.05) reduced the plant height and dry matter of perennial ryegrass. In conclusion, drought stress affects the peramine concentration in the perennial ryegrass−endophyte symbiont but may not affect the lolitrem B concentration.

Keywords: Lolium perenne; alkaloids; drought stress; endophytes.

Grants and funding

This study was supported by the National Nature Science Foundation of China (31971768), Gansu transportation department science and technology project 2021-07 and Gansu transportation department science and technology project 2021-28.