TY - JOUR AU - F.N. Femina, AU - S.S.Veena, AU - S. Karthikeyan, AU - G.L. Sreelatha, PY - 2022/10/25 Y2 - 2024/03/28 TI - Growth Promotion in Elephant Foot Yam (Amorphophallus paeoniifolius (Dennst.) Nicolson) Consequent to Colonization by the Root Endophytic Fungus, Piriformospora indica JF - JOURNAL OF ROOT CROPS JA - J. Root Crops VL - 46 IS - 2 SE - Research Articles DO - UR - https://journal.isrc.in/index.php/jrc/article/view/591 SP - 94-100 AB - <p>Elephant foot yam (EFY) is widely cultivated in many states of India due to its high production potential; acceptability as a vegetable in many delicious recipes and use in Ayurvedic medicines. <em>Piriformospora indica </em>is an endophytic mycorrhiza like fungus which has shown pronounced growth promotional and disease suppressing activities in many crops. The potential of <em>P. indica </em>to colonize elephant foot yam roots was explored for the first time and growth promotion in elephant foot yam plants consequent to root colonization by <em>P. indica </em>was also studied. Among twelve solid media evaluated for growth, maximum radial growth of <em>P. indica </em>was obtained on cassava starch and wheat extract + Jaggery (9 mm day-1). Among the ten liquid media tested, maximum mycelial mass was observed in wheat extract + jaggery and wheat extract + PDA media. The colonization ability of <em>P. indica </em>in elephant foot yam (var. Gajendra) was studied by trypan blue staining and further confirmation of colonization was done by amplifying species specific <em>Pitef1 </em>gene. Incorporation of <em>P. indica </em>resulted in promotion of all growth parameters like shoot length, root length, biomass, girth, leaf area etc. of host plant. <em>P. indica </em>is known to inhibit many pathogens in various crops apart from causing growth promotion. Hence, studies on the effect of <em>P. indica </em>colonization on various diseases of elephant foot yam will help in tapping the full potential of the organism in organic cultivation of EFY</p> ER -