Effect of cucumber mycorrhiza inoculation under low and high root temperature grown on hydroponic conditions

Abstract

Cucumber is a subtropical vegetable sensitive to high and low root temperature. Additionally, mycorrhiza with beneficial effect on plant growth can increase plant tolerance to stress. This experiment was carried out as a factorial design based on CRD to study the effect of mycorrhiza density (0, 1,000 spores and 2,000 spores) on cucumber (Cucumis sativus cv. Super N3) under low (15°C), high (35°C), and optimum (25°C) temperature root zones. The result showed that low and high root zone temperatures decreased shoot and root fresh weight, chlorophyll content, and antioxidant activity compared to optimum temperature, while the phenols of shoot and NR activity increased in low and high temperature, respectively, as compared to optimum temperature. Both mycorrhiza inoculation (1,000 and 2,000 spores) increased shoot and root fresh weight while mycorrhiza with 1,000 spores increased antioxidant activity and phenol content and NR activity had no influence by mycorrhiza symbiosis. Mycorrhiza inoculation increased SPAD value at optimum temperature. FV/FM reduced by mycorrhiza with 2,000 spores at low and high temperature stress. Total phenol content increased at all temperature levels by mycorrhiza inoculation. Mycorrhiza with 1,000 spore increased antioxidant activity of leaves at all root zone temperatures. NR activity increased with both mycorrhiza inoculation at optimum temperature and decreased at high root zone temperatures. In general, our results showed that mycorrhiza symbiosis had a desirable effect on cucumber culture at low and high root zone temperatures.