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Aims: This study aimed to investigate how dark septate endophytes (DSE) from arid habitats affect host growth and their application to crops and medicinal plants in drought-prone soils. Methods: First, the osmotic-stress tolerance of Paraphoma sp., Embellisia chlamydospora, and Cladosporium oxysporum, isolated from Hedysarum scoparium, was tested using osmotically adjusted pure culture. Second, we examined the performance of host (H. scoparium) and non-host (Glycyrrhiza uralensis and Zea mays) plants inoculated with these fungi under mild (MD) and extreme drought (ED) conditions in a growth chamber. Results: All the DSE showed high tolerance to osmotic stress in vitro and could colonise the roots of all the plants. For H. scoparium, DSE improved the root biomass and length depending on DSE species, with Paraphoma sp. and C. oxysporum exhibiting positive effects under all the drought treatments. For G. uralensis and Z. mays, DSE inoculation enhanced the root development of plants under MD condition and was dependent on the plant–fungus species. However, this positive effect was weakened under extreme drought stress. Conclusions: DSE isolated from H. scoparium enhanced the root growth of the host plant under drought conditions and may also be used to promote the cultivation of agricultural and medicinal plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dark septate endophytes (DSE) are diverse facultative biotrophic ascomycetes that ubiquitously colonise plant roots and may facilitate plant growth and productivity. However, the relationship between DSE resources and medicinal plants is still unclear. Here, we investigated DSE colonisation and species composition associated with roots of 25 medicinal plants collected from Anguo Medicine Planting Site in the farmland habitat, northern China in May 2017 using morphological characteristics and ITS sequencing. Typical DSE colonisation structures were observed in the roots of 25 medicinal plants. Total DSE colonisation was in the range of 2.22–100% and was significantly and positively correlated with soil organic matter, urease, and phosphatase. Host species purely explained 80.8%, 74.0%, and 79.0% of the observed variation in hyphal, microsclerotial, and total DSE colonisation, respectively. Of the 14 DSE taxa isolated from all 25 medicinal plant roots, six species were reported here for the first time in medicinal plants. Nonmetric multidimensional scaling analysis revealed that DSE colonisation and species composition significantly differed between different plant species. The DSE colonisation and species composition were predominately affected by plant identity than by soil factors. We conclude that the dynamics of DSE in the roots of medicinal plants exhibited a highly correlated plant species pattern, which further correlated with soil nutrient availability and enzymatic activity. This research provides a basis for further understanding of the ecological functions of DSE and their roles in the promotion of yield and quality of medicinal plants in the farmland ecosystems. • Twenty-five medicinal plants were colonised by dark septate endophytes (DSE). • Six DSE species were reported here in medicinal plants for the first time. • DSE colonisation and species composition were mainly affected by plant identity than by soil factors. • Soil organic carbon, urease, and phosphatase were the main DSE colonisation predictors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]