The Colonization Morphologies of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi in Pepper Roots and Their Impact on Activity of Enzymes Related to Plant Disease Resistance
To reveal the potential effects of Phytophthora capsici on the colonization ability of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi(AMF)in pepper roots and the role of Mollicutes/Mycoplasma-related endobacteria(MRE)in promoting pepper resistance to disease stress in host AMF,three AMF species symbiotic with MRE,namely Funneliformis mosseae(Fm),Rhizophagus clarus(Rc),and Claroideoglomus etunicatum(Ce),as well as one AMF species without MRE,Rhizophagus intraradices(Ri),had been selected as test materials.A symbiotic colonization system between AMF and pepper plants had been established through pot cultivation.Subsequently,P.capsici had been inoculated into the rhizosphere of pepper plants using the challenge inoculation method,and changes in the activities of chitinase and phenylalanine ammonia lyase(PAL)in pepper roots had been detected.The results had indicated that P.capsici could affect the colonization of AMF in pepper roots,and different AMF species had varying colonization abilities in pepper roots.After challenging inoculation with P.capsici for 6 days,the colonization rates of Fm,Rc,and Ce symbiotic with MRE in pepper plants had been significantly higher than that of Ri without MRE symbiosis.The activities of chitinase and PAL in pepper roots colonized by AMF had been significantly enhanced compared to the control.After challenging inoculation with P.capsici for 6 days,the chitinase activities in pepper plants inoculated with Fm,Rc,and Ce symbiotic with MRE had increased by 10.54%,17.00%,and 13.20%,respectively,compared to those inoculated with Ri.The PAL activities had increased by 12.49%,3.84%,and 10.03%,respectively.The symbiosis and interaction between MRE and AMF may be potential factors contributing to differences in the colonization rates of different AMF species in host plant roots and their ability to induce host resistance to disease stress.