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N o v e m b e r 2 6 - 2 7 , 2 0 1 8 | M a d r i d , S p a i n
&
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BIOTECHNOLOGY
Euro Congress on
GENOMICS AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY
International Conference on
CANCER SCIENCE AND THERAPY
Global Congress on
Joint Event on
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alliedacademies.comYEARS
Euro Biotechnology 2018 & Genomics Congress 2018 & Cancer Congress 2018
Journal of RNA and Genomics
|
ISSN: 2591-7781
|
Volume 14
Rasheed Adeleke et al., J RNA Genomics 2018, Volume 14
DIVERSITY OF CULTIVABLE FUNGAL
ENDOPHYTES ASSOCIATED WITH SHOOTS
OF BT AND NON-BT MAIZE PLANTS
Rasheed Adeleke
1, 2
, Mashiane R A
1, 2
, Bezuidenhout C C
2
Chirima J G
1,4
, Rhode O H J
3
and
Roopnarain A
1
1
Agricultural Research Council, South Africa
2
North West University — Potchefstroom campus, South Africa
3
Agricultural Research Council — Grain Crops, South Africa
4
University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa
I
nteractions between endophytes and host plants could be affected by vari-
ous factors such as the genetic modification of plants. In the present study,
impact of genetic modification (
Bacillus thuringiensis
(Bt) cry proteins) of
maize plants on the diversity of fungal endophytes was investigated. This
was carried out by assessing diversity of fungal endophytes associated
with a Bt-maize (MON810) and its isogenic, non-transgenic parental line at
pre-flowering (50 days) and post-flowering (90 days) developmental stages.
Fungal communities inhabiting the phyllosphere of Bt-maize and its isogenic
parental line were isolated and identified. Twenty-one isolates were obtained
from the shoots of Bt-maize and 27 from its isogenic parental line, repre-
senting 14 genera and 19 OTUs. The most frequently isolated groups were
Fusarium
from tassels as well as
Epicoccum
and
Alternaria
from leaves. In
both cultivars, the leaves had the highest fungal diversity. Results obtained in
the study indicate that there was no significant difference between isolates
from Bt-maize and its parental line, which means the genetic modification did
not affect the diversity of cultivable fungi associated with the Bt-maize geno-
type. This study further highlights the diversity of fungal endophytes that may
benefit their hosts through nutrient cycling and biological control of diseases.
Rasheed Adeleke is the faculty in soil, climate and water
at Agricultural Research Council, South Africa. He com-
pleted his PhD in Microbiology at University of Pretoria in
2010 and Postgraduate in Environmental Management
from University of Toronto in 2011.
adeleker@arc.agric.zaBIOGRAPHY