Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi outcompete fine roots in determining soil multifunctionality and microbial diversity in a desert ecosystem

Agricultural practices are known to affect the diversity and efficiency of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) in improving overall plant performance. In the present study we aimed to compare the abundance, richness, and diversity of AMF communities under organic farming of a desert ecosystem in the Arabian Peninsula with those of an adjacent conventional farming system and native vegetation. In total, 12 sites, including six plant species, were sampled from both farming systems and the native site. Spore morphotyping revealed 24 AMF species, with 21 species in the organic farming system, compared to 14 species in the conventional site and none from rhizosphere soil of a native plant (Tetraena qatarensis). The AMF spore abundance, species richness, and Shannon–Weaver diversity index were high under organic farming. In both systems, the AMF community composition and abundance associated with different crops followed similar trends, with pomegranates having the highest values followed by limes, grapes, mangoes, and lemons. Our results show that organic farming in such a desert ecosystem promotes AMF diversity. These data imply that AMF might play an important role in the sustainable production of food in resource-limited desert habitats.

Download Full-text

Colonization and Spore Richness of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi in Araucaria Nursery Seedlings in Curitiba, Brazil

International Journal of Agronomy ◽

10.1155/2018/5294295 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 2018 ◽

pp. 1-6 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Carlos Vilcatoma-Medina ◽

Glaciela Kaschuk ◽

Flávio Zanette

Keyword(s):

Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi ◽

Atlantic Forest ◽

Tree Species ◽

Mycorrhizal Fungi ◽

Fine Roots ◽

Arbuscular Mycorrhizal ◽

Metropolitan Region ◽

Araucaria Angustifolia ◽

Timber Tree ◽

Unidentified Species

Araucaria or Paraná pine [Araucaria angustifolia (Bertol.) Kuntze, 1898] is an endangered timber tree species of Atlantic Forest that naturally forms symbiosis with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF). The objective of this experiment was to evaluate AMF colonization and spore AMF richness in araucaria seedlings produced in nursery at the metropolitan region of Curitiba, Brazil, with the interest of identifying a taxonomical AMF group. For that, soil and fine roots of 6-month-, 1-year-, 2-year-, 3-year-, and 5-year-old araucaria seedlings were sampled and evaluated. Evaluations indicated that araucaria seedlings were well colonized by AMF (with rates varying from almost 50 to over 85%) and produced an abundant number of mycorrhizal spores (from 344 to 676 spores per seedling). Samples contained spores of the species Acaulospora scrobiculata, Dentiscutata heterogama, and Glomus spinuliferum and unidentified species of genera Gigaspora and Glomus. The Glomus genus was the most abundant kind of AMF spores found under nursery conditions. Therefore, the experiment evidenced that Glomus is a promising genus candidate for being used as AMF inoculant in production of araucaria seedlings.

Download Full-text