Researchers have discovered a naturally occurring fungus called Chaetomium globosum inside wheat seeds that can significantly suppress Septoria tritici blotch (STB), a destructive disease affecting wheat crops globally. Dr Amir Mirzadi Gohari from the University of Tehran led the study, which found that treating wheat with this fungus reduced leaf lesions by 74% and decreased spore production by 82%. The fungus combats STB through multiple mechanisms including activating plant defenses, secreting antifungal compounds, and promoting plant growth.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-09,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
A naturally occurring fungus found inside wheat seeds could help protect one of the world’s most important food crops from a damaging disease, researchers have found.
uncertain
researchers → occur → disease
The fungus, known as Chaetomium globosum, was shown to significantly suppress a disease known as STB, which can cut wheat yields in half during severe outbreaks.
asserted
which → know → outbreaks
The study is the first time the fungus has been identified in wheat seeds – though it has previously been found in cotton, hemp, apples and tobacco.
asserted
it → identify → cotton
STB, which stands for Septoria tritici blotch, is one of the most destructive wheat diseases worldwide.
asserted
which → stand → diseases
Dr Amir Mirzadi Gohari, from the University of Tehran, made the initial discovery.
asserted
Gohari → make → discovery
“STB is a huge problem and a real threat to global food security,” he said.
asserted
he → say → security
“But it is becoming incredibly resistant to these treatments, and there are growing concerns about the environmental and financial costs of spraying wheat crops.
“Finding a naturally occurring fungus that fights this pathogen could be a huge step forward; it’s a very exciting discovery.”
uncertain
it → become → pathogen
Dr Mirzadi Gohari’s team screened 45 fungal endophytes, which are fungi that live inside plants without harming them, in a similar way to friendly gut bacteria in humans, searching for one that could hold STB at bay.
uncertain
that → screen → bay
The winner came from an unexpected source: the seeds of a wheat variety that is highly susceptible to the disease.
asserted
that → come → disease
The scientist said: “We treated different varieties of wheat with our new fungus three days before exposing them to STB.
asserted
We → say → STB
Read More
“The results were incredible.
asserted
results → read → ?
“Even in the worst-hit variety, lesions covered 74% less of the leaf area, and the structures that produce the disease-spreading spores were reduced by 82%.
“
asserted
that → hit → %
We tested wheat varieties that are susceptible to STB, and across all of these, disease severity fell by more than half.”
asserted
severity → test → half
STB is caused by a fungus called Zymoseptoria tritici, which is difficult to control because of its resistance to many fungicides.
asserted
which → cause → fungicides
Dr Angela Feechan, from Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh, is working with Dr Mirzadi Gohari on the research.
asserted
Feechan → work → research
She explained that Chaetomium globosum appears to fight STB in three main ways.
asserted
globosum → explain → ways
“As a fungus, it puts the plant’s defences on alert and its immune system kicks in, similar to how vaccines work in humans,” she said.
asserted
she → put → humans
“We also found that it secretes antifungal compounds that attack rival fungi, like Zymoseptoria tritici, which causes STB.”
asserted
which → find → STB
She explained that part of the research involved growing the fungus in liquid and spraying it onto STB-infected wheat.
asserted
part → explain → wheat
“It inhibited germination of the spores by more than 80%, and spraying it onto plants in the greenhouse test also reduced the disease,” she said.
asserted
she → inhibit → disease
“It may also promote plant growth.
uncertain
It → promote → growth
It produces ammonia and the plant hormone auxin, along with mechanisms that help plants take up iron.”
asserted
plants → produce → iron
She said further investigation is necessary, but that it appears the fungus has “real benefits for wheat plants, and potentially other crops”.
asserted
fungus → say → plants
The team is now trying to pinpoint exactly which antifungal compound the fungus produces, and they have sequenced the fungus’s genome to search for the genes responsible.
asserted
they → try → genes
Dr Feechan said longer-term research and field trials will help determine whether farmers could use Chaetomium globosum to tackle STB in wheat crops.
uncertain
farmers → say → crops
She said: “We could potentially coat seeds with the fungus before they are planted, which would mirror how wheat would encounter fungus naturally in the soil, or a spray-on treatment could be developed.”
uncertain
treatment → say → soil
The study was a collaboration between the University of Tehran, Heriot-Watt University and University College Dublin, led by the University of Tehran and funded by the Iran National Science Foundation.
asserted
study → lead → Foundation
The findings are published in the journal Scientific Reports.
asserted
findings → publish → journal
The Aporia
