ENDRUST- ROLE OF ENDOPHYTES IN RUST DEFENSE IN NORWAY SPRUCE

Phytopathogens are the microorganisms which attack the plants and therefore causes plant diseases. These stress factors can have negative impact on crops and food production, and moreover lead to deforestation, when they attack forest trees. Picea abies, known locally as Gewöhnliche Fichte is a commonly occurring forest tree in Austria and in particular, in central Alpine region, e.g. in Tyrol. These trees are mainly utilized in forestry for timber and paper production, and has therefore various economic, social, and environmental importance. Picea forests are currently under attack by a phytopathogen known as needle bladder rust fungus, Chrysomyxa rhododendri, which imposes deleterious effects on adult trees and fatal consequences to the saplings. However, in nature it has been frequently observed that some of these trees despite growing next to a fully infected tree, are totally healthy. To look for an answer for this phenomenon, in EndRust project, it is being hypothesized that symbiont microorganisms like fungi, which are residing inside leaves, stems, etc., are responsible for generating resistance against rust fungus. Evidenced by the preliminary findings, it is thought that these symbiotic fungi produce warfare compounds, known as natural products, to kill rust fungus upon its attack. Therefore, this project aims for detailed analysis of fungal species occurring in resistant (healthy) and infected trees, and analyzing the natural products they produce in the lab, using the state-of-the-art techniques. Furthermore, it has been shown that fungi can potentially produce different metabolites when the cultivation medium changes, or when they are co-cultivated with another fungi or bacteria. In this project therefore, the cultivation conditions will be modified in order to investigate what other compounds can be produced by fungal species selected. The obtained natural products will be tested against various phytopathogens in particular C. rhododendri. Those displaying potential antifungal activities will be tested in green house for their effect on infected seedlings and also on infected adult trees in nature. The result of this project will shed new light on our understanding of how some trees displaying natural resistance against rust fungus, and also will lead to discovery of potential antifungal natural products for controlling the infections and ultimately saving Picea forests.