Journal
MYCOLOGIA
Volume 109, Issue 1, Pages 153-161Publisher
TAYLOR & FRANCIS INC
DOI: 10.1080/00275514.2016.1277469
Keywords
confocal microscopy; endophyte; Epichloe coenophiala; fluorescent dye; Lolium arundinaceum
Categories
Funding
- Grasslanz Technology Ltd.
- PGG Wrightson Seeds Ltd.
- AgResearch Core Funding
- China Scholarship Council
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Asexual cool-season grass endophytes of the genus Epichloe (Ascomycota: Clavicipitaceae) are strictly vertically disseminated. The hosts of these mutualistic fungi express no symptoms during the fungal lifecycle that takes place entirely within the plant, while their hosts receive beneficial outcomes. These fungi are distributed in two major locations within the mature seeds of their hosts; namely, within the embryo (including the scutellum, coleoptile, plumule, radicle, and coleorhiza tissues) and between the aleurone and pericarp layers, with the latter hyphae playing no role in transmission of the fungus to the next plant generation. Conflicting evidence remains in the literature on the timing of embryo colonization. In a detailed investigation, utilizing confocal microscopy to observe the distribution of Epichloe coenophiala strain AR601 in tall fescue (Lolium arundinaceum), we tracked endophyte hyphal colonization in the ovary (pre-fertilization) through to the fully mature seed stage. Confocal microscopy images revealed that at the early and mature developmental stages of the embryo sac, before host grass fertilization, there were large quantities of endophyte mycelium present, especially around the antipodal cells, indicating that this endophyte enters the embryo sac before the fertilization stage. After host fertilization, fungal hyphae could be seen in the true embryo and early nonstarchy endosperm. Understanding the mechanisms of transmission to the seed is important for commercial seed producers and end users.
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