Effect of endophyte infection on growth and endogenous hormones of Festuca sinensis under Zn and Cd treatments

In the present study, the growth and endogenous hormone contents in leaves of Festuca sinensis infected with Epichloë (E+) or free (E–) were measured under Zn and Cd treatments to investigate the endophyte-mediated alleviation of abiotic stress in Festuca. The results are as follows: 1) Compared to control, Zn treatment could improve the plant height and biomass of Festuca infected with (E+) or free (E–) (P < 0.05); the contents of gibberellic acid (GA₃), cytokinin (CTK), and indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) increased, whereas that of abscisic acid (ABA) decreased under Zn treatment (P < 0.05). 2) Compared to control, Cd stress inhibited the plant height and biomass in F. sinensis, decreased the contents of GA₃, CTK, and IAA, and increased the content of ABA (P < 0.05). 3) Endophyte infection had a beneficial effect on Zn and Cd treatments; it increased the tiller number, plant height, and aboveground biomass. Further, it increased the GA₃, CTK, and IAA contents in F. sinensis under Zn treatment and Cd stress separately (P < 0.05). These results indicated that the endophyte can improve the adaptability of abiotic stress by regulating the content of endogenous hormones in F. sinensis.