Desert ecosystems are characterized by extreme conditions, including drought, heat, and various biotic and abiotic stress factors. Native plants in these environments have evolved remarkable resilience to these harsh conditions, partly due to their symbiotic relationships with endophytic fungi. These fungi not only help plants withstand drought and heat but also protect them from pathogens. A study was conducted in Oman to investigate the potential of endophytic fungi isolated from native desert plants in mitigating biotic and abiotic stresses on cultivated crops. The objectives of the study were threefold: to investigate the diversity of endophytic fungi in native desert plants, to determine if the isolated fungi can suppress diseases in cultivated crops, and to explore the potential application of endophytes in improving drought tolerance of crops.
The study involved isolating endophytic fungi from various desert plants, including Rhazya stricta, Tephrosia apollinea, and Zygophyllum coccineum. Aspergillus terreus was isolated from R. stricta and T. apollinea, while Talaromyces variabilis was found in R. stricta and Z. coccineum. Interestingly, the study also led to the identification of two novel fungal species, Cladosporium omanense and Talaromyces omanensis.
In assessing the biocontrol potential of these endophytic fungi, the study investigated their ability to suppress Pythium aphanidermatum, a fungal pathogen that causes damping-off in various crops. The study demonstrated that T. variabilis and C. omanense effectively interfered with P. aphanidermatum growth and suppressed Pythium-induced damping-off in cucumbers, tomatoes, and radishes.
Furthermore, the study explored the potential of endophytic fungi in improving the drought tolerance of crops. The researchers focused on Talaromyces omanensis and its effects on tomato plants under drought stress. They found that T. omanensis conferred multiple benefits to tomatoes, including: enhanced reproductive characteristics, such as increased flower and fruit production, improved chlorophyll fluorescence, indicating better photosynthetic efficiency, positive changes in anatomical features, such as increased phloem and cortex width and decreased stem hollowness, enhanced growth parameters, including increased shoot dry weight, root length, and fruit weight.
These findings highlight the potential of endophytic fungi isolated from wild desert plants as biocontrol agents against plant pathogens and as drought stress mitigators. Harnessing these benefits could help alleviate the increasing challenges posed by climate change in desert environments, natively restoring and enriching desert soils, and ensuring sustainable crop production and food security.
Biography
I am a Professor of Horticultural Sciences at the Department of Plant Sciences, College of Agricultural and Marine Sciences at Sultan Qaboos University (SQU), where I have been working for over 32 years. I have served as the Dean of the College of Agricultural and Marine Sciences and prior to that, I also served in various capacities, including Assistant Dean for Training & Community Services. I teach and supervise undergraduate and postgraduate courses in Plant Sciences.
I hold a PhD from the University of Florida (USA) in Horticultural Sciences, and M.Sc. from Cornell University (USA) in the Field of Pomology and a minor in International Agriculture and Rural Development, and a B.Sc. in Plant Sciences from SQU (Oman).
My research and practical experience is in arid-land agriculture, fruit production, postharvest, climate change mitigation and adaptation, Agro-Tech, Data Gathering and Analysis, and sustainable agroecosystems. I have given numerous public lectures and participated in international conferences around the world. My publications exceed 200 articles, book chapters, and books.
I was appointed as an MP in the highest legislative body of Oman, the State Council, from 2011 until 2019. During my service, I have served in ‘Human Resource Development’, and ‘Education & Research’ parliamentary committees in addition to many ad-hoc committees and national duties.
In Business, I have also served on the Board of Directors of the government-owned Agricultural & Development Fund. I also served on the Board of Directors as deputy chair of Date Palm Development Company (Nakheel), the largest agricultural production and investment company in Oman. Further, I have confounded three small businesses in the agri-food sector.
In addition to my academic work, I provide consultancy work for several public and private sectors in various areas of arid-climate agriculture, food security, capacity building, and plant economic utilization, postharvest technology, climate adaptation, and mitigation & resource assessment & conservation.