Biochemical Changes in Two Barley Genotypes Inoculated With a Beneficial Fungus Trichoderma harzianum Rifai T-22 Grown in Saline Soil

Abstract

One of the most important environmental factors impacting crop plant productivity is soil salinity. Fungal endophytes have been characterised as biocontrol agents that help in plant productivity and induce resistance responses to several abiotic stresses, including salinity. In the salt-tolerant cereal crop barley (Hordeum vulgare L.), there is limited information about the metabolites and lipids that change in response to inoculation with fungal endophytes in saline conditions. In this study, gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (GC–MS) and LC–electrospray ionisation (ESI)–quadrupole–quadrupole time of flight (QqTOF)-MS were used to determine the metabolite and lipid changes in t..