Developing robust quantitative PCR primers for comparative biomass analysis of Tall Fescue (Festuca arundinacea) and its Epichloë endophyte.

Tall fescue ( Festuca arundinacea ) is a widely adopted forage and turf grass. This is partly due to a fungal endophyte, Epichloë coenophiala, which confers both abiotic and biotic stress tolerance. Although PCR primers exist to test for endophyte presence, these were not designed to quantitatively analyze the amount of fungus in the plant. In this study, we test different primer sets for quantitative biomass analysis of tall fescue and E. coenophiala. We report standard curves, r-squared, and efficiency values for every primer set and identify those most suited for qPCR in this system.