Endophytic Fungus Paraconiothyrium cyclothyrioides Associated with Larix sibirica Ledeb.: Molecular Identification and Functional Characterization
Keywords:
forest microbiome, root endophyte, phytohormone production, fungal biotechnology, plant–microbe interactionAbstract
Endophytic fungi play important roles in plant growth, development, and adaptation to environmental stress through the production of bioactive metabolites. This study aimed to isolate and characterize an endophytic fungal strain associated with the roots of Larix sibirica Ledeb. and to evaluate its plant growth-promoting potential. The fungal strain T1R7 was isolated from root tissues and identified as Paraconiothyrium cyclothyrioides based on internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region sequencing, showing 100% similarity to reference sequences in the GenBank database. Functional characterization revealed that the strain did not exhibit phosphate-solubilizing activity on Pikovskaya's medium. However, it produced indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), a key phytohormone involved in plant growth regulation, at a concentration of 6.93 ± 1.96 mg L⁻¹, which was significantly higher than that of the control (1.13 ± 0.17 mg L⁻¹; p < 0.05). These results indicate that P. cyclothyrioides possesses plant growth-promoting potential through IAA production and may contribute to the growth and development of its host plant. Further studies are required to evaluate its ecological role and potential applications in forestry and plant biotechnology.
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