Evaluation of the effect of fungal Penicillium chrysogenum and bacterial Exigubacteium aurantiacum endophytes on improvement of the morpho-physiological characteristics of tomato seedlings

In this study we aimed to investigate the symbiotic effects of a fungal (Penicillium chrysogenum) and bacterial (Exigubacterium aurantiacum) endophytes and their interaction on some growth and physiological traits of tomato plant (Solanum lycopersicum L.) cultivar 8320. To this end, tomato seeds were inoculated by the studied endophytes P. chrysogenum and bacterial E. aurantiacum and transplanted in seedling trays in the greenhouse of Hormozgan University  in 2019. The experiment was performed as a factorial experiment in a completely randomized design with three replications  with inoculation of fungal endophytes and bacterial endophytes in which some traits such as fresh and dry weight aerial organs, leaf length and width, number of leaves, stem height and diameter, chlorophyll content (SPAD), fluorescence chlorophyll, chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, carotenoids, relative water content, antioxidant activity and total phenol content were measured. The results showed that the interaction of P. chrysogenum and E. aurantiacum significantly increased fresh and dry weight aerial organs, stem height and diameter, leaf number, chlorophyll content (SPAD), chlorophyll fluorescence, chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, carotenoids, relative water content, antioxidant activity and total phenol content of the tomato plants. However, both endophytes significantly reduced leaf length and width of the plants compared to symbiotic-free ones. The results showed that the simultaneous application of both endophytes had a significant synergistic effect on the mentioned traits in tomato plants compared to their separate application. In general, it can be concluded that the symbiosis of endophytes in a bio-rational combination with the tomato plant Improving growth traits will have significant positive effects. Therefore, the simultaneous application of P. chrysogenum and E. aurantiacum endophytes is strongly recommended to improve the growth traits of tomato plants.