Bioprotection against Gaeumannomyces graminis in barley – a comparison between arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi

Gaeumannomyces graminis var. tritici causes take-all disease, the most important root disease of cereal plants. Cereal plants are able to form a symbiotic association with soil-borne arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi which can provide bioprotection against soil-borne fungal pathogens. However, the bioprotective effect of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi against soil-borne fungal pathogens might vary. In the present study we tested the systemic bioprotective effect of the arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi Glomus mosseae, Glomus intraradices and Gigaspora rosea against the soilborne fungal pathogen Gaeumannomyces graminis var. tritici in a barley split-root system. Glomus intraradices, Glomus mosseae and Gigaspora rosea colonized the split-root system of barley plants at different levels; however, all arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi clearly reduced the level of root lesions due to the pathogen Gaeumannomyces graminis. Our data indicate that some arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi need high root colonization rates to protect plants against fungal pathogens, whereas others act already at low root colonization rates.