Preliminary study on seasonal diversity of root endophytic fungi and bacteria associated with sainfoin (Onobrychis viciifolia) in South Africa

Abstract

Abstract Sainfoin (Onobrychis viciifolia), is a beneficial forage legume, which is adapted to a wide range of climatic conditions. It has the potential to be an exceptionally useful forage crop due to its high digestibility and palatability, anthelmintic properties, endophytes, and abundance of nectar and pollen for honey production. We report here the first attempts to study the diversity of endophytic fungi and bacteria associated with sainfoin in South African agricultural lands during dry and wet season.. This was achieved by isolating, cultivating, purifying, and molecular characterising the fungi and bacteria from the roots of sainfoin obtained from an established agricultural field during both the wet and dry seasons. During the dry season, 15 fungal isolates and 10 bacterial isolates were obtained from sainfoin roots, which consisted of 9 fungal genera and 4 bacterial genera, respectively. While, during the wet season 28 fungal isolates and 24 bacterial isolates, representing 12 fungal genera and 12 bacterial genera were successfully isolated. A comprehensive literature-based discussion on the potential plant growth-promoting effects of the obtained fungal and bacterial isolates was also conducted to preliminary identify those with potential for agricultural application. The study showed that sainfoin roots could interact with a diverse group of endophytes, which is greatly influenced by seasonality, with a higher diversity and isolation rate during the wet season in South Africa.