PubMed · 2026-04-14
A naturally occurring insect-killing fungus called Beauveria bassiana can live inside soybean plants as a beneficial endophyte, boosting photosynthesis, dialing up stress defenses, and shifting the leaf microbiome away from harmful pathogens — all within one week of inoculation.
Beauveria bassiana successfully colonized all soybean tissues (leaves, stems, roots) within one week of inoculation without causing visible harm to the host plant.
The fungal endophyte up-regulated plant genes for photosynthesis, lipid and carbohydrate biosynthesis, and stress response, while down-regulating abscisic acid and far-red light response pathways.
Plants colonized by B. bassiana showed a relative decrease in transcripts from potentially pathogenic bacteria and plant-pathogenic fungi, with a concurrent relative increase in beneficial microbial transcripts.
