infection of Festuca rubra subsp. pruinosa by Epichloë festucae

• Published in: Grass and forage science Vol. 61; no. 1; pp. 71 - 76
• Main Authors: Zabalgogeazcoa, I, Romo, M, Keck, E, Vázquez de Aldana, B.R, García Ciudad, A, García Criado, B
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford, UK Oxford, UK : Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01.03.2006; Blackwell Publishing Ltd
• Subjects: endophytes; Epichloe festucae; Epichloë festucae; Festuca rubra; incidence; Neotyphodium coenophialum; salinity; salt tolerance; seed-borne fungi; Spain
• ISSN: 0142-5242; 1365-2494
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2494.2006.00509.x

Festuca rubra subsp. pruinosa is a grass that inhabits the sea cliffs of the Atlantic coasts of Europe. Four populations of this plant in the northern coast of Galicia, in northern Spain, were analysed for the presence of fungal endophytes. Of the plants included in the study, on average 0·69 were infected by an intercellular fungal endophyte. Using morphological and molecular characters, this endophyte was identified as Epichloë festucae, a clavicipitaceous, seed-transmitted species. A half-sibling line, consisting of endophyte-free and endophyte-infected plants, was developed and used to test whether the presence of the fungus affected the response of the plants to salinity. Dry weights of infected or uninfected plants, watered with sea-water solutions or tap water, did not significantly differ.