The effects of Piriformospora indica on the growth of cuttings from three species of woody ornamental plants

Woody ornamental plants, widely used in production practices, often face challenges such as environmental stress and nutrient deficiency during their growth and development. Piriformospora indica ( P. indica ), a beneficial endophytic fungus, has an unclear mechanism of influence on the growth of cuttings from woody ornamental plants. In this study, Rhododendron, Jasmine sambac , and Rosa chinensis were used as research materials, with two treatments applied: control group (CK) and addition of P. indica (+Pi). The results showed the following: (1) Compared to the CK, P. indica -treated Rhododendron exhibited increases of 56.0 %, 44.6 %, 35.0 %, 16.2 %, and 23.1 % in root length, root weight, root surface volume, chlorophyll content, and root activity, respectively. (2) P. indica -treated Jasminum sambac showed increases of 53.7 %, 50.9 %, 30.6 %, 43.4 %, 66.7 %, 50.0 %, and 25.0 % in root length, root weight, chlorophyll content, root activity, and the expression levels of WOX1, WOX4 , and WOX13 genes, respectively, compared to the CK. (3) P. indica -treated Rosa chinensis demonstrated increases of 46.5 %, 34.2 %, 30.6 %, 43.4 %, 50.0 %, 28.6 %, and 14.3 % in root length, root weight, chlorophyll content, root activity, and the expression levels of WOX1, WOX4 , and WOX13 genes, respectively, compared to the CK. These findings confirm that P. indica significantly promotes the growth of woody cuttings, providing a technical approach and theoretical basis for the development of woody seedling production applications. • P. indica significantly promoted the growth and development of three cuttings. • P. indica greatly boosted WOX gene expression in plant by rising IAA & CTK levels. • P. indica boosts apical meristems activity & root growth of by regulating WOX gene.