Values in the table refer to mean ± SD (n = 18). Figure 4 Light microscopic analysis of cucumber root colonized by P. formosus. The fungus was observed: (a) forming hypha from epidermal region into cortical region; (b) developing in endodermal cells (c) switching to yeast-like cells or conidia in the periclycle region by undergoing morphological changes. H = Hypha; CC selleck = cortex cells; E =

endodermal cells; C = conidia or yeast like cells; scale bar 50 μm. Plant water potential and stress mitigation Relative water potential was not significantly different in P. formosus inoculated plants and non-inoculated plants. Under salinity stress (60 and 120 mM), the endophyte-inoculated cucumber plants showed significantly

higher water potential as compared to the non-inoculated control plants (Figure 5a). The higher RWC indicates the beneficial endophytic association and rescuing role of P. formosus to curtail the adverse effects salinity stress. The electrolytic leakage (EL) from the cellular find more apparatus was almost similar in both endophyte associated plants and endophyte-free plants. However, upon salinity stress (60 and 120 mM), the non-inoculated control plants released significantly higher electrolytes as compared to P. formosus associated plants (Figure VX-770 in vitro 5b). It suggests that the endophyte interaction counteracted the adverse effect of salinity by reducing the damage to the cellular membranes of the plants. The mitigating response of P. formosus association

in salinity stress was further assessed the extent of lipid peroxidation. The results showed that MDA content was significantly lower in endophyte associated plants than control without NaCl stress. Upon salinity stress (60 and 120 mM), we again observed the significantly reduced levels of lipid peroxidation product (MDA) in the endophyte-inoculated Bay 11-7085 plants than the control plants (Figure 5c). Figure 5 Effects of the NaCl stress (0, 60 and 120 mM) on the relative water contents (a), electrolytic leakage (b), MDA content (c), free proline quantity (d), nitrogen assimilation (e), and antioxidant activity (f) of cucumber plants with or without endophytic inoculation ( P. formosus ). Each value is the mean ± SE of 3 replicates per treatments. Different letter indicates significant (P < 0.05) differences between P. formosus inoculated plants and non-inoculated control plant as evaluated by DMRT. The results showed that free proline quantity was not significantly different in cucumber plants inoculated with P. formosus and control. Treating cucumber plants with 60 mM NaCl stress, P. formosus inoculated plants had higher proline quantity in comparison to control. Cucumber plants when treated with 60 or 120 mM NaCl stress, P. formosus inoculated plants had higher proline quantity in comparison to controls (Figure 5d).