The effects of a newly discovered endophytic fungus, Talaromyces omanensis, on the drought tolerance of tomato is presented in this study. The fungus was obtained from a desert plant Rhazya stricta in Oman. Drought stress was induced by a 15% solution of Polyethylene glycol-6000 (PEG-6000). Several parameters were measured including pollen sterility, pollen tube length, growth, flowering, and yield characteristics, the biochemical analysis of the leaves and fruits, as well as other physiological and anatomical parameters. The results showed that T. omanensis provided multiple advantages to tomato grown under drought stress, including improved reproductive characteristics, chlorophyll fluorescence, and some anatomical characteristics such as increased phloem and cortex width and a reduction of pith autolysis that leads to hollow stem. In addition, T. omanensis significantly increased drought-stress related characteristics such as shoot dry weight, root length, the number of flowers, and fruit weight. A significantly higher concentration of gibberellic acid (GA3) was found in tomato plants treated by T. omanensis, which may enhance their drought tolerance. These results suggest that T. omanensis is a potential biological anti-stress stimulator for important horticultural crops such as tomatoes. This study is the first to report the beneficial effects of T. omanensis in alleviating drought stress in tomatoes.

中文翻译：

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内生Talaromyces omanensis 增强干旱胁迫番茄的生殖、生理和解剖特征

本研究介绍了一种新发现的内生真菌 Talaromyces omanensis 对番茄耐旱性的影响。这种真菌是从阿曼的沙漠植物 Rhazya stricta 中获得的。干旱胁迫由 15% 的聚乙二醇-6000 (PEG-6000) 溶液引起。测量了几个参数，包括花粉不育、花粉管长度、生长、开花和产量特性、叶子和果实的生化分析，以及其他生理和解剖参数。结果表明，T. omanensis 为在干旱胁迫下生长的番茄提供了多种优势，包括改善的繁殖特性、叶绿素荧光以及一些解剖特征，如韧皮部和皮质宽度增加以及导致空心茎的髓自溶减少。此外，T. omanensis 显着增加了与干旱胁迫相关的特征，如茎干重、根长、花数和果实重量。在 T. omanensis 处理的番茄植株中发现了显着更高浓度的赤霉酸 (GA3)，这可能会增强它们的耐旱性。这些结果表明，T. omanensis 是重要的园艺作物（如西红柿）的潜在生物抗应激刺激剂。本研究首次报道了 T. omanensis 在缓解番茄干旱胁迫方面的有益作用。这可能会增强它们的耐旱性。这些结果表明，T. omanensis 是重要的园艺作物（如西红柿）的潜在生物抗应激刺激剂。本研究首次报道了 T. omanensis 在缓解番茄干旱胁迫方面的有益作用。这可能会增强它们的耐旱性。这些结果表明，T. omanensis 是重要的园艺作物（如西红柿）的潜在生物抗应激刺激剂。本研究首次报道了 T. omanensis 在缓解番茄干旱胁迫方面的有益作用。