Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) play an important role in nutrient cycling processes and plant stress resistance. To evaluate the effect of Rhizophagus irregularis CD1 on plant growth promotion (PGP) and Verticillium wilt disease, the symbiotic efficiency of AMF (SEA) was first investigated over a range of 3% to 94% in 17 cotton varieties. The high-SEA subgroup had significant PGP effects in a greenhouse. From these results, the highest-SEA variety of Lumian 1 was selected for a two-year field assay. Consistent with the performance from the greenhouse, the AMF-mediated PGP of Lumian 1 also produced significant results, including an increased plant height, stem diameter, number of petioles, and phosphorus content. Compared with the mock treatment, AMF colonization obviously inhibited the symptom development of Verticillium dahliae and more strongly elevated the expression of pathogenesis-related genes and lignin synthesis-related genes. These results suggest that AMF colonization could lead to the mycorrhiza-induced resistance (MIR) of Lumian 1 to V. dahliae. Interestingly, our results indicated that the AMF endosymbiont could directly inhibit the growth of phytopathogenic fungi including V. dahliae by releasing undefined volatiles. In summary, our results suggest that stronger effects of AMF application result from the high-SEA.

Plants are continuously exposed to myriad pathogen stresses. However, the molecular mechanisms by which these stress signals are perceived and transduced are poorly understood. In this study, the maize gene GRMZM2G315431 was identified to be highly inducible by Rhizoctonia solani infection, suggesting that the promoter of GRMZM2G315431 (pGRMZM2G315431) might contain a specific cis-acting element responsive to R. solani attack. To identify the R. solani-responsive element in pGRMZM2G315431, a series of binary plant transformation vectors were constructed by fusing pGRMZM2G315431 or its deletion-derivatives with the reporter genes. In the transient gene expression system of Nicotiana benthamiana leaves inoculated with R. solani, GUS quantification suggested that the DNA fragment contains the unknown pathogen-inducible cis-elements in the −1323 to −1212 region. Furthermore, detailed quantitative assays showed that two novel cis-elements, GTTGA in the −1243 to −1239 region and TATTT in the −1232 to −1228 region, were responsible for the R. solani-inducible activity. These two cis-elements were also identified to have R. solani-specific-inducible activity in stable transgenic rice plants, suggesting the existence of a novel regulation mechanism involved in the interaction between R. solani and Zea mays.