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This research aims to isolate phosphorus-solubilizing fungi from the sediments of warm-water fish farms and evaluate their performance in phosphorus solubilizing from various insoluble sources of phosphorus (tricalcium phosphate, iron phosphate, aluminum phosphate, and calcium phytate). For this purpose, four stations in Mazandaran province were sampled and isolated using NBRIP solid culture medium (49 mushroom isolates, including 19 isolates from organic phosphorus-containing culture medium and 30 isolates from inorganic phosphorus-containing culture medium). Then, the ability of isolates to dissolve phosphorus in solid and liquid culture medium was evaluated. Among the isolates, isolates PS3D, PS3F, and PS5F had the best performance among isolates solubilizing organic phosphorus (average phosphorus release 179.85-191.08 mg/liter). TS4E isolate was also selected as the best inorganic phosphorus solubilizing isolate. Then these isolates were molecularly identified by S18 rDNA gene sequencing and were registered as Talaromyces austrocalifornicus (PS3D), Trichoderma harzianum (PS3F), Aspergillus niger (PS5F) and Penicillium oxalicum (TS4E). In the final stage, the ability of these isolates to dissolve phosphorus in microcosm conditions (water and sediment-containing jars) was evaluated for 15 days. Contrary to the performance of these fungi in a liquid culture medium, the amount of soluble phosphorus in microcosm conditions showed a decreasing trend compared to day zero. However, the amount of phosphorus in the treatments containing mushrooms was higher than the control group. In general, the performance of the fungi introduced in this study has been positive in phosphorus release.

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Bio-fertilizers have been introduced as an alternative to chemical fertilizers for plant growth and health. The objective of this pot culture experiment was to evaluate the effects of three Bio-fertilizers in single and mixed form containing arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus (Glomus intraradices), N+V on growth, yield components, and expression of some defense response genes in wheat infected with Fusarium oxysporum. Real time PCR was performed to determine the gene expression levels of β-1,3-glucanase, Oxalate Oxidase, and Chitinase genes. The application of bio-fertilizers significantly increased all studied parameters, except spike length, in infected plants. The highest shoot dry weight was found in Nitroxin+Vermicompost (N+V) treatment and the highest plant height, grain number, 100 grain weight, and biological yield was observed in treatment Mycorrhizal+Vermicompost (M+V). The use of bio-fertilizer resulted in the highest expression level of β-1,3-glucanase gene .The Chitinase gene showed the lowest expression level in all treatments. Our results indicate that vermicompost application could influence the improvement of mycorrhizal colonization and development of external hyphae.

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Endophytic fungi are considered an eco-friendly and bio-safe alternative to increase agricultural productivity. The study objectives were to isolate and identify endophytic fungi from the roots of Rhizophora racemosa and to assess their effect on the growth of Cucurbita maxima plants. Molecular identification of the endophytic fungal isolates revealed five fungal species: Aspergillus aculeatus, Aspergillus fumigatus, Fusarium equiseti, Penicillium citrinum, and Talaromyces albobiverticillius. A. aculeatus induced the best improvement rate of plant development with an increase of shoot length (159 %), petiole length (171%), internode length (155%), leaf number (133%) and leaf area (149%)at 84 days after the fungal treatment. This research highlights the importance of A. aculeatus, which can be an eco-friendly bio-fertilizer that can enhance the production of Cucurbita maxima and improve the agricultural sector. To confirm its effectiveness, experiments must be conducted in fields and greenhouses.