Enhancement of growth and salt tolerance in Clematis chinensis by the plant growth- promoting fungus Trichoderma compactum SZ01
4 affiliations
- 1School of Landscape and Ecological Engineering, Hebei University of Engineering, Handan, 056038 China
- 2National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070 China
- 3Institute of Cash Crops, Hebei Academy of Agricultural and Forestry Sciences, Shijiazhuang, 050051 China
- 4Department of Natural Medicinal Chemistry, School of Traditional Chinese Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, 211198 China
Abstract
Background: Salt-tolerant rhizosphere microorganisms with multiple plant growth–promoting (PGP) traits represent cost-effective biological inoculants for enhancing plant tolerance to abiotic stress.
Results: In this study, a salt-tolerant fungal strain, SZ01, was isolated from the rhizosphere of Clematis chinensis using PDA medium supplemented with 1% NaCl and identified as Trichoderma compactum based on morphological and molecular analyses. SZ01 tolerated NaCl concentrations up to 9%. Functional characterization revealed that SZ01 exhibited potassium solubilization, nitrogen fixation potential, and siderophore production, although it lacked the ability to solubilize organic or inorganic phosphorus. Pot experiments demonstrated that under salt stress, inoculation with SZ01 spore suspension significantly increased the fresh and dry weights of underground tissues, reduced Malondialdehyde (MDA) accumulation, and enhanced soluble sugar and proline contents compared with non-inoculated controls, indicating effective mitigation of salt-induced physiological damage. Transcriptomic analysis of C. chinensis leaves further showed that SZ01 treatment triggered extensive transcriptional reprogramming, particularly through modulation of MAPK and metabolic pathways, thereby optimizing stress-responsive gene expression. Secondary metabolite profiling of SZ01 under salt stress revealed the accumulation of chlorine-containing molecules potentially contributing to plant growth promotion.
Conclusion: These findings highlight the potential of SZ01 as a microbial inoculant to promote plant growth and productivity in saline–alkaline environments, with implications for both medicinal and agricultural crop production.
Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at https://doi.org/10.1186/s12870-026-09648-7.
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BibTeX
@article{wu2026enhancement,
title = {{Enhancement of growth and salt tolerance in Clematis chinensis by the plant growth- promoting fungus Trichoderma compactum SZ01}},
author = {Yucui Wu and Xuebo Xue and Shichao Zhang and Yuxuan Rong and Yaqian Sun and Wenqi Liu and Libo Yang and Menghua Wang and Tao Jiang},
journal = {BMC Plant Biology},
year = {2026},
month = jul,
doi = {10.1186/s12870-026-09648-7},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1186/s12870-026-09648-7},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Enhancement of growth and salt tolerance in Clematis chinensis by the plant growth- promoting fungus Trichoderma compactum SZ01
AU - Yucui Wu
AU - Xuebo Xue
AU - Shichao Zhang
AU - Yuxuan Rong
AU - Yaqian Sun
AU - Wenqi Liu
AU - Libo Yang
AU - Menghua Wang
AU - Tao Jiang
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/07/31
JO - BMC Plant Biology
DO - 10.1186/s12870-026-09648-7
UR - https://doi.org/10.1186/s12870-026-09648-7
AB - Background: Salt-tolerant rhizosphere microorganisms with multiple plant growth–promoting (PGP) traits represent cost-effective biological inoculants for enhancing plant tolerance to abiotic stress. Results: In this study, a salt-tolerant fungal strain, SZ01, was isolated from the rhizosphere of Clematis chinensis using PDA medium supplemented with 1% NaCl and identified as Trichoderma compactum based on morphological and molecular analyses. SZ01 tolerated NaCl concentrations up to 9%. Functional characterization revealed that SZ01 exhibited potassium solubilization, nitrogen fixation potential, and siderophore production, although it lacked the ability to solubilize organic or inorganic phosphorus. Pot experiments demonstrated that under salt stress, inoculation with SZ01 spore suspension significantly increased the fresh and dry weights of underground tissues, reduced Malondialdehyde (MDA) accumulation, and enhanced soluble sugar and proline contents compared with non-inoculated controls, indicating effective mitigation of salt-induced physiological damage. Transcriptomic analysis of C. chinensis leaves further showed that SZ01 treatment triggered extensive transcriptional reprogramming, particularly through modulation of MAPK and metabolic pathways, thereby optimizing stress-responsive gene expression. Secondary metabolite profiling of SZ01 under salt stress revealed the accumulation of chlorine-containing molecules potentially contributing to plant growth promotion. Conclusion: These findings highlight the potential of SZ01 as a microbial inoculant to promote plant growth and productivity in saline–alkaline environments, with implications for both medicinal and agricultural crop production. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at https://doi.org/10.1186/s12870-026-09648-7.
SN - 1471-2229
ER -