GENETIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROL OF PLANT SYMBIOSES WITH FUNGAL ENDOPHYTES
Ref. No.: LINKA20261
Funding Entity: CSIC
Principal Investigator: Íñigo Zabalgogeazcoa
Participants: Beatriz R Vázquez de Aldana (IRNASA-CSIC); Marjo Helander and Kari Saikkonen (Turku University – Finland); Torben Asp (Aahus University – Denmark)
Duration: 01/06/2020 – 31/12/2022
Summary
The main objective of this proposal is to strengthen the scientific collaboration among two laboratories from Spain, Finland and Denmark in research concerning associations between fungal endophytes and grasses. In particular, this consortium is oriented towards determining genetic and environmental factors controlling the success of mutualistic symbioses between Epichloë fungal endophytes and their grass hosts.
The collaborations of the participant groups will be focused on (1) the effects of Epichloë endophytes on genetic regulation of plant responses to salinity in Festuca rubra subsp. pruinosa, a marine halophytic plant, and on (2) habitat effects on Festuca rubra/Epichloë holobiont fitness, using multisite transnational experiments and germplasm of different geographic origins.
