Conversely, in EA, SA and SA+EA plants, this trend was increasing with or without drought stress. It was significantly higher in SA+EA plants exposed to maximum AZD1152 manufacturer duration of water deficient conditions. Beside this, we also observed that the photosynthesis rate was significantly higher in EA, SA and SA+EA plants. The shoot length was 17.4, 13.3 and 23.3% higher in EA, SA and

SA+EA treatments as compared to control after two days of stress. Similarly, after 4 and 8 days of stress, the shoot length increased 15.2, 10.8, 19.7% and 12.2, 9.1, 19.2% in EA, SA and SA+EA treatments respectively as compared to control (Figure 3). The biomass gains were prominent in the EA and SA+EA. During drought stress, the biomass loss was more prominent in control plants while our results

did not shown significant difference between SA and EA plants (Figure 2). Figure 3 Effect of endophyte symbiosis on the electrolytic release during stress. EA = infected with P. resedanum; SA = treated with SA; SA+EA = endophytic-fungal associated plants treated with SA. NST (not selleck inhibitor stressed treatment), 2-DT, 4-DT and 8-DT represent drought stress period of 2, 4 and 8 days respectively. Similarly, the plant biomass improvement AZD2281 chemical structure during EA and SA+EA was also varified by the reduced electrolytic leakage (EL) in plants under stress. The results showed that EL was significantly higher in the non-inoculated control plants treated with 2, 4 and 8 days of drought. It was highly

significant (P<0.001) in control after 8 days of stress (Figure 3). In comparison to sole SA-treated plants, the EL was lower than EA and SA+EA plants (Figure 3). The results suggest that the increased electrolytes influx represent higher tissue damages inside plants while Rucaparib this has been counteracted by the presence of endophyte with or without stress conditions. The microscopic images showed the active association and habitation of P. resedanum inside the pepper plant’s root. The non-infected control plant’s roots were without any fungal association (Figure 4). The epidermal and cortex cellular region had no fungal infection. Contrarily, the microsclerotium of endophyte was seen in the inner cortex regions of the EA plant roots under normal growth conditions after one week of inoculation. However, endophyte colonization increased inside root with the passage of time and stress period. In SA+EA plants after 8 days of droughts stress, the rate of colonization was higher than the EA plants, suggesting that SA can also play an essential role in symbiotic microbial association (Figure 4). Figure 4 Light micrographs of endophyte P. resedanum – associated with host plant’s root. (Control) shows the light microscopic image of endophyte-free control plants (two weeks old). Bar = 200 μm. (EA) pepper root infected with P. resedanum after one week of inoculation.