Impact of Grass Endophyte on Leaf Spot in Perennial Ryegrass Caused by Bipolaris sorokiniana and Subsequent Aphids’ Feeding Preference

Ziyuan Ma, Jia He, Youlei Shen, Yingde Li, Ping Wang () and Tingyu Duan ()
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Ziyuan Ma: State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro-Ecosystems, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730020, China
Jia He: School of Forestry and Prataculture, Ningxia University, Yinchuan 750021, China
Youlei Shen: State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro-Ecosystems, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730020, China
Yingde Li: State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro-Ecosystems, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730020, China
Ping Wang: Dingxi Vocational and Technical College, Dingxi 730500, China
Tingyu Duan: State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro-Ecosystems, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730020, China

Agriculture, 2025, vol. 15, issue 2, 1-17

Abstract: Grass endophytes ( Epichloë ) are important symbiotic microorganisms of perennial ryegrass, playing a vital role in plant resistance against various stresses. This study investigated the effects of grass endophyte on leaf spot disease caused by fungal pathogen Bipolaris sorokiniana and subsequent feeding preferences of aphids ( Rhopalosiphum maidis ) on perennial ryegrass, with a particular focus on how grass endophyte influence the interactions between pathogens and aphids. The results indicated that grass endophytes significantly increased the net photosynthetic efficiency of perennial ryegrass. The interactions among grass endophytes, pathogen, and aphids affected the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidases (POD), and catalase (CAT). Grass endophytes enhanced SOD and CAT activities in pathogen-infected ryegrass. While pathogen infection and aphid infestation decreased jasmonic acid (JA) and salicylic acid (SA) concentrations, grass endophyte increased SA levels. Correlation analysis revealed a negative relationship between shoot dry weight and plant transpiration rate, SOD, and CAT activities. Aphid feeding choice showed that grass endophytes attracted more aphid feeding when co-infected with pathogens. This preference correlated positively with H 2 O 2 and SA levels but negatively with NO and JA concentrations. Overall, grass endophytes enhance perennial ryegrass resistance to leaf spot pathogens and aphids, offering a novel pest and disease management strategy in agriculture.

Keywords: stress tolerance; multi-stress; disease; pest insect; plant microbiome interactions; pest control (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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