scholarly journals Maize/soybean intercropping improves stability of soil aggregates driven by arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in a black soil of Northeast China

Author(s):  
Shu Zhang ◽  
Lingbo Meng ◽  
Jian Hou ◽  
Xiaodan Liu ◽  
Abiola O. Ogundeji ◽  
...  

Abstract Background and Aims Studies verify that intercropping influence the soil aggregates and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), but the characteristics and relationships of AMF communities and soil aggregates at different soil depths have not been fully understood. Methods A long term positioning experiment starting in 2017, including two-factor experiment of N application level and cultivation. The N application level including N0 (0 kg·hm−2) and N2 (240 kg·hm−2 and 80 kg·hm−2 for maize and soybean, respectively). The cultivation, including monoculture maize, monoculture soybean, and maize/soybean intercropping (intercropping maize, intercropping soybean). Soil aggregates and AMF were collected and analyzed from the difference depths soil. Results Results showed that intercropping can improve the macro-aggregate (>5 mm) content of maize soil at 0-15 cm and 15-30 cm depth under N0 level. Also, the intercropping can only improve the macro-aggregate content of soybean soil at 0-15 cm depth. Likewise, the results also proved that increasing the N fertilizer application rate can significantly decrease the macro-aggregates in intercropping soil at 0-15 cm and 15-30 cm depths. Moreover, intercropping treatment can significantly improve the AMF diversity of maize and soybean soil at different depths, while the application of N fertilizer significantly reduced the AMF diversity of soil at different depths. Conclusion The Structural equation modeling indicated that the intercropping system could influence and participate in the formation of soil aggregates by changing the soil AMF community and relative abundance, thereby contributing the soil stability. These results reveal the mechanisms of improvement of soil quality through diversity planting patterns.

2020 ◽  
Vol 367 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Luca Giovannini ◽  
Cristiana Sbrana ◽  
Luciano Avio ◽  
Alessandra Turrini

ABSTRACT Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) are a key group of beneficial obligate biotrophs, establishing a mutualistic symbiosis with the roots of most land plants. The molecular markers generally used for their characterization are mainly based on informative regions of nuclear rDNA (SSU-ITS-LSU), although protein-encoding genes have also been proposed. Within functional genes, those encoding for phosphate transporters (PT) are particularly important in AMF, given their primary ability to take up Pi from soil, and to differentially affect plant phosphate nutrition. In this work, we investigated the genetic diversity of PT1 gene sequences and sequences of the taxonomically relevant SSU-ITS-LSU region in two isolates of the species Funneliformis coronatus, three isolates of the species Funneliformis mosseae and two species of the genus Rhizoglomus, originated from geographically distant areas and cultured in vivo. Our results showed that partial PT1 sequences not only successfully differentiated AMF genera and species like ribosomal gene sequences but also highlighted intraspecific diversity among F. mosseae and F. coronatus isolates. The study of functional genes related to the uptake of key mineral nutrients for the assessment of AMF diversity represents a key step in the selection of efficient isolates to be used as inocula in sustainable agriculture.


2019 ◽  
Vol 43 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marisângela Viana Barbosa ◽  
Daniela de Fátima Pedroso ◽  
Nilton Curi ◽  
Marco Aurélio Carbone Carneiro

ABSTRACT Soil structure, which is defined by the arrangement of the particles and the porous space forming aggregates, is one of the most important properties of the soil. Among the biological factors that influence the formation and stabilization of soil aggregates, arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) are distinguished due to extrarradicular hyphae and glomalin production. In this context, the objective of this study was to evaluate different AMF (Acaulospora colombiana, Acaulospora longula, Acaulospora morrowiae, Paraglomus occultum and Gigaspora margarita) associated with Urochloa brizantha (A. Rich.) Stapf on soil aggregate stability. The study was conducted in a completely randomized design, using an Oxisol and autoclaved sand 2:1 (v/v), with seven treatments: five AMF; and treatments with plants without inoculation and with only the soil, with 5 replicates. The experiment was conducted during 180 days and the following variables were evaluated: mycelium total length (TML); production of easily extractable glomalin-related soil protein (GRSP) in the soil and aggregate classes; stability of the dry and immersed in water aggregates through the mean geometric diameter (MGD) and the mean weighted diameter (MWD) of aggregates; and the soil aggregate stability index (ASI). It was observed that the inoculation favored soil aggregation, with a high incidence of A. colombiana, which presented the highest MGD, TML and GRSP production in the aggregates with Ø>2.0mm and for A. colombiana and A. morrowiae in the aggregates with Ø<0.105 mm, when compared to the treatment without inoculation. These results show that there is a distinction between the effects of different AMF on the formation and stability of soil aggregates.


Agronomy ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 106 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luca Giovannini ◽  
Michela Palla ◽  
Monica Agnolucci ◽  
Luciano Avio ◽  
Cristiana Sbrana ◽  
...  

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) are beneficial soil microorganisms establishing mutualistic symbioses with the roots of the most important food crops and playing key roles in the maintenance of long-term soil fertility and health. The great inter- and intra-specific AMF diversity can be fully exploited by selecting AMF inocula on the basis of their colonization ability and efficiency, which are affected by fungal and plant genotypes and diverse environmental variables. The multiple services provided by AMF are the result of the synergistic activities of the bacterial communities living in the mycorrhizosphere, encompassing nitrogen fixation, P solubilization, and the production of phytohormones, siderophores, and antibiotics. The tripartite association among host plants, mycorrhizal symbionts, and associated bacteria show beneficial emerging properties which could be efficiently exploited in sustainable agriculture. Further in-depth studies, both in microcosms and in the field, performed on different AMF species and isolates, should evaluate their colonization ability, efficiency, and resilience. Transcriptomic studies can reveal the expression levels of nutrient transporter genes in fungal absorbing hyphae in the presence of selected bacterial strains. Eventually, newly designed multifunctional microbial consortia can be utilized as biofertilizers and biostimulants in sustainable and innovative production systems.


Mycorrhiza ◽  
2001 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. 267-273 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Nakano ◽  
Kazushi Takahashi ◽  
Roger T. Koide ◽  
M. Kimura

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eva F. Leifheit ◽  
Anika Lehmann ◽  
Matthias C. Rillig

Microplastics (MPs) are ubiquitously found in terrestrial ecosystems and are increasingly recognized as a factor of global change (GCF). Current research shows that MP can alter plant growth, soil inherent properties, and the composition and activity of microbial communities. However, knowledge about how microplastic affects arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) is scarce. For plants it has been shown that microplastic can both increase and decrease the aboveground biomass and reduce the root diameter, which could indirectly cause a change in AMF abundance and activity. One of the main direct effects of microplastic is the reduction of the soil bulk density, which translates to an altered soil pore structure and water transport. Moreover, especially fibers can have considerable impacts on soil structure, namely the size distribution and stability of soil aggregates. Therefore, microplastic alters a number of soil parameters that determine habitat space and conditions for AMF. We expect that this will influence functions mediated by AMF, such as soil aggregation, water and nutrient transport. We discuss how the impacts of microplastic on AMF could alter how plants deal with other GCFs in the context of sustainable food production. The co-occurrence of several GCFs, e.g., elevated temperature, drought, pesticides, and microplastic could modify the impact of microplastic on AMF. Furthermore, the ubiquitous presence of microplastic also relates to earth system processes, e.g., net primary production (NPP), carbon and nitrogen cycling, which involve AMF as key soil organisms. For future research, we outline which experiments should be prioritized.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ke Chen ◽  
David Kleijn ◽  
Jeroen Scheper ◽  
Thijs P.M. Fijen

AbstractManaging ecosystem services may reduce the dependence of modern agriculture on external inputs and increase the sustainability of agricultural production. Insect pollinators and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) provide vital ecosystem services for crop production, but it has not been tested whether their effects on crop yield interact and how their effects are influenced by nutrient availability. Here we use potted raspberry (Rubus idaeus L.) plants in a full-factorial randomized block design to assess the interacting effects of insect pollination, AMF inoculation and four levels of fertilizer application. AMF inoculation increased the per-plant flower number by 33% and fruit number by 35%, independently from insect pollination and fertilizer application. Single berry weight furthermore increased more strongly with fertilizer application rates in AMF inoculated plants than in non-inoculated plants. As a consequence, AMF inoculation boosted raspberry yield by 43% compared to non-inoculated plants. AMF inoculation increased pollinator visitation rate under intermediate fertilizer levels, suggesting additional indirect effects of AMF on yield. Fruit yield of pollinated plants increased more strongly with fertilizer application rate than the yield of plants from which pollinators had been excluded. At maximum nutrient availability, the combined benefits of both ecosystem services resulted in a 135% higher yield than that of fertilizer-only treatments. Our results suggest that benefits of ecosystem services on yield can be additive or synergistic to the effects of conventional management practices. Intensive, high-input farming systems that do not consider the potential adverse effects of management on ecosystem service providing species may risk becoming limited by delivery of ecosystem services. Pro-actively managing ecosystem services, on the other hand, has the potential to increase crop yield at the same level of external inputs.


2015 ◽  
Vol 50 (4) ◽  
pp. 313-321 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marco Aurélio Carbone Carneiro ◽  
Dorotéia Alves Ferreira ◽  
Edicarlos Damacena de Souza ◽  
Helder Barbosa Paulino ◽  
Orivaldo José Saggin Junior ◽  
...  

The objective of this work was to evaluate the spore density and diversity of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) in soil aggregates from fields of "murundus" (large mounds of soil) in areas converted and not converted to agriculture. The experiment was conducted in a completely randomized design with five replicates, in a 5x3 factorial arrangement: five areas and three aggregate classes (macro-, meso-, and microaggregates). The evaluated variables were: spore density and diversity of AMF, total glomalin, total organic carbon (TOC), total extraradical mycelium (TEM), and geometric mean diameter (GMD) of soil aggregates. A total of 21 AMF species was identified. Spore density varied from 29 to 606 spores per 50 mL of soil and was higher in microaggregates and in the area with 6 years of conversion to agriculture. Total glomalin was higher between murundus in all studied aggregate classes. The area with 6 years showed lower concentration of TOC in macroaggregates (8.6 g kg-1) and in microaggregates (10.1 g kg-1). TEM was greater at the top of the murundus in all aggregate classes. GMD increased with the conversion time to agriculture. The density and diversity of arbuscular mycorrhizal spores change with the conversion of fields of murundus into agriculture.


Agronomy ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 559 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elsie Sarkodee-Addo ◽  
Michiko Yasuda ◽  
Chol Gyu Lee ◽  
Makoto Kanasugi ◽  
Yoshiharu Fujii ◽  
...  

Understanding the community composition and diversity of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) in an agricultural ecosystem is important for exploiting their potential in sustainable crop production. In this study, we described the genetic diversity and community structure of indigenous AMF in rain-fed rice cultivars across six different regions in Ghana. The morphological and molecular analyses revealed a total of 15 different AMF genera isolated from rice roots. Rhizophagus and Glomus were observed to be predominant in all regions except the Ashanti region, which was dominated by the genera Scutellospora and Acaulospora. A comparison of AMF diversity among the agroecological zones revealed that Guinea Savannah had the highest diversity. Permutational Multivariate Analysis of Variance (PERMANOVA) analysis indicated that the available phosphorus (AP) in the soil was the principal determining factor for shaping the AMF community structure (p < 0.05). We report, for the first time, AMF diversity and community structure in rice roots and how communities are affected by the chemical properties of soil from different locations in Ghana.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Diego Camilo Peña Quemba ◽  
Alia Rodriguez ◽  
Ian Sanders

&lt;p&gt;Soil degradation is a major concern worldwide and tropical agriculture is a major contributor to CO&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt; release from soils. There is growing interest in stabilizing atmospheric CO&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt; abundance to reduce its direct effect on global warming, by focusing on the potential of soil to sequester carbon. Soil structure directly influences soil stability and carbon sequestration. Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) are one of the most important microbial soil components for soil aggregate formation and stabilization through physical and biochemical processes allowing the encapsulation of organic carbon. However, the contribution of AMF to soil aggregation remains to be demonstrated under field and farming conditions and has only been shown in pot experiments with sterilized non-mycorrhizal controls. Large differences in cassava (Manihot esculenta Cranz), yield when inoculated under field conditions with diverse isolates of the AMF species Rhizophagus irregularis, suggests that carbon directed belowground and more importantly carbon sequestered within soil aggregates after harvesting might be driven by differences among AMF inocula. Thus, we evaluated the effect of 11 different isolates of Rhizophagus irregularis on CO&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt; emissions to the atmosphere (soil respiration), soil aggregation and the amount of soil organic carbon stored in aggregates in soils under commercial cassava cropping. Soil respiration was measured in situ by infrared gas analyser (IRGA, Li-COR 8100A) means. Soil samples were taken in surface (10 cm) and subsoil (30 cm) were taken to determine water stable aggregates size distribution (6.3, 4, 2, 1 and 0.5 mm), total stable aggregates (TSA) and total organic carbon (TOC) per aggregate size. After just one-year, our results showed that carbon decomposition (as measured by soil respiration), soil aggregation and carbon storage (in soil aggregates) were significantly affected by inoculation with AMF. Soil respiration was strongly and differentially affected by R. irregularisisolates with a difference of up to 78% in CO&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt; release from the soil. In surface, we found differences in TSA of up to 20% among inoculation treatments driven principally by an increase up to 6.3% in macroaggregate sizes. In subsoil, the TSA differences were up to 40% between AMF lines and at 2 mm aggregate size differences were up to 9,22% compare with non-inoculated treatment. Interestingly in this experiment, TOC and soil aggregation were not correlated. Although TOC in macroaggregates was significatively different up 44% among AMF treatments. Soil aggregation is a soil property often thought as static. Moreover, changes in soil aggregation as the ones we have shown here had only been reported after long-term experiments (up to 30 years) with low intrusive tillage practices (non- or reduced-tillage). Our results clearly show the enormous potential of using AMF in field conditions as a primary tool to improve ecosystem services and soil health in short periods of time.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Keywords:&amp;#160;&lt;/strong&gt;Soil aggregation, AMF, Cassava, carbon storage, soil respiration&lt;/p&gt;


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