Effect of inoculating mycorrhizal fungi and Rhizobium on broad bean (Vicia faba L.) growth at different phosphorus levels in calcareous soil.

This study examined the effect of co-inoculating phosphorus- solubilizing and nitrogen-fixing bacteria on chickpea (Cicer arietinum L) growth and nutrient intake at various phosphorus levels. Rock phosphate was used as a source of phosphorus. The experiment was conducted from the November 2021 to March 2022 growing season at the Bakrajo Horticulture Department of the College of Agricultural Engineering Science, University of Sulaimani. With three replications for each treatment, the experiment was carried out in silty clay soil using a completed randomized design (CRD). After five months the plants were measured for their height and chlorophyll intensity. The chickpea plants exhibited significantly greater plant height, chlorophyll intensity, nodule numbers, root dry weight, and shoot dry weight from the treatments. The highest values were 78.00 cm, 76 SPAD, 77.00 g, 6.00 g, and 14.34 g, respectively compared to the control group. The highest values for chickpea shoot N, P, K, Fe, Zn, and Mn content were 26.00 g kg-1, 11.36 g kg-1, 26.00 g kg-1, 445.33 μgg-1, 46.25 μgg-1, and 41 μgg-1, respectively, observed at p levels of 160 kg P ha-1. Additionally, Rhizobium leguminosarum inoculation alone increased plant height, chlorophyll intensity, number of nodules, root and shoot dry weights of the chickpea plants but less than with co-inoculation. Compared to the control, inoculation with Pseudomonas putida had the least significant increase in plant height, chlorophyll intensity, nodule number, root dry weight, and shoot dry weight. The corresponding values were 62.33 cm, 43.30 SPADS, 51.00, 3.98 g, and 10.40 g at the highest P levels. On the other hand, they decreased at the greatest p-values. The nutrients N, P, K, Fe, Zn, and Mn for chickpea shoots had the highest values at 18.60 g kg-1, 10.00 g kg-1, 17.63 g kg-1, 298.00 μgg-1, 34, 76 μgg-1, and 18 μgg-1, respectively.

The study was conducted to determine the effect of arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi inoculation on growth of pea grown under water stressed pot culture conditions. Water stress was given to the pea plants after 30 days at the interval of 4, 8 and 12 days. The data was collected at an interval of 15 days. Three replicates of each set were maintained. . The mixture of AM fungi used for current experiment included the species of Acaulospora denticulata, A. gerdemannii, Glomus macrocarpum, G. maculosum, G. fasciculatum and Scutellospora minuta. The mycorrhizal plants have shown more shoot and root length as compared to the control plants. The height of shoot and root was significantly decreased with the increase in drought stress. Mycorrhizal plants with low water stress showed enhanced shoot and root length than high water stress. The mycorrhizal plants have shown more number of leaves than control plants during drought stress. The number of leaves significantly reduced with the increase in drought stress. The leaves produced by the control plants were comparatively smaller than those of mycorrhizal plants. The dry weight of root and shoot of both control and mycorrhizal plants decreased with the increase in water stress. Mycorrhizal plants showed more dry weight of shoot and root as compared to control plants. Plants inoculated with AM fungi produce more dry weight than the control plants. The fresh weight of both control and mycorrhizal plants has been decreased with the increase in water stress interval and also the fresh weight of root and shoot was observed higher in mycorrhizal plants as compared to those of control plants.

Leucaena (Leucaena leucocephala) is relatively slow to establish on acidic soils of low nitrogen status, partly due to its inherent character of slow nodulation. Relatively few studies have examined the use of combined nitrogen and lime to promote seedling and subsequent growth of leucaena on such soils. Two experiments, one in the field and another in glasshouse, were conducted on an acidic red-yellow podzolic (Ultisol) soil in south- east Queensland to examine these aspects. The field experiment was conducted for one year from December, 1982. The long-term effect of lime (2.5 t ha-1) and combined nitrogen (25 kg N ha-1), applied at establishment., on shoot growth was estimated 8 and 12 months after planting. The percentage increase in shoot dry weight to combined nitrogen application after 8 and 12 months was almost the same (31.8 and 32.9 respectively). But, for lime the shoot dry weight increased from 43 to 55 per cent. The response to the combined application of nitrogen and lime was additive. In the glasshouse, using large pots, the effect of rates of application of combined nitrogen (0, 50, 100, 200 and 400 kg N ha-1) on leucaena seedling growth in the absence or presence (3 t ha-1) of lime at 25, 50 and 75 days was investigated. At day 25 and day 50 lime significantly increased plant height but had no effect on other plant characters. Combined nitrogen significantly increased shoot dry weight and plant height at both harvests. At day 75, lime significantly increase shoot, leaf, root and nodule dry weights, plant height and leaf number in the absence of applied nitrogen. It had no effect at N50 or N100 and depressed shoot, leaf and root dry weights at N200 and N400. Possible reasons for the negative interaction at N200 and N400 were discussed. Combined nitrogen at day 75 significantly increased plant height and leaf, shoot and root dry weights. Nodule number and nodule dry weight were significantly increased up to Nl00, severely reduced at N200 and completely suppressed at N400. Lime and combined nitrogen up to N100 significantly increased nodule size. Lime significantly increased root : shoot ratio at N0 only while combined nitrogen progressively decreased root :shoot ratio up to N40 . The nitrogen status of the youngest fully expanded leaves was significantly increased by combined nitrogen at rates above N50 at day 25, N200 at day 50 and N100 at day 75. It was concluded that on an acidic soil of low nitrogen status, application of combined nitrogen up to 100 kg N ha-1 or lime in the absence of combined nitrogen would improve leucaena growth at establishment stages and lime, in addition, would have a long-term beneficial effect in promoting subsequent leucaena growth. Practical implications of the results were mentioned.

Plant growth was evaluated in substrates containing varying proportions of processed poultry feather fiber (feather fiber). `Cooler Blush' vinca ( Catharanthus roseus ) and `Orbit Cardinal' geranium ( Pelargonium × hortorum ) dry shoot and dry root weights were not significantly different among plants grown in sphagnum-peat-based and perlite-based substrates containing 0% to 30% feather fiber. `Pineapple Queen' coleus ( Coleus blumei ) dry shoot weights were not significantly different among plants grown in substrates containing 0% to 50% feather fiber. Coleus dry root weights were not significantly different among the substrates containing 0% to 40% feather fiber. `Better Boy' tomato ( Lycopersicon esculentum ) dry shoot weights were not significantly different among the substrates containing 0% to 30% feather fiber. Tomato dry root weights were not significantly different among the substrates containing 0% to 30% feather fiber, but tomato grown in substrates containing 40% to 60% feather fiber had significantly lower dry root weights than tomato grown in substrates containing 0% to 30% feather fiber. `Salad Bush' cucumber ( Cucumis sativus ) dry shoot and dry root weights were not significantly different between plants grown in 0% to 50% feather fiber, but those gown in substrates containing 60% feather fiber had significantly lower dry shoot weights than those grown in substrates containing 0% feather fiber. Dry shoot and root weights of coleus and tomato grown in SB-300 substrate amended with 20% or 30% feather fiber were not significantly different from coleus and tomato grown in SB-300 without feather fiber. Dry shoot and dry root weights of coleus and tomato were significantly lower for plants grown in SB-300 amended with 40% feather fiber than for plants grown in SB-300 without feather fiber. For all species tested, plants grown in substrates containing up to 30% feather fiber were not significantly different from those grown in substrates containing 0% feather fiber and were of marketable qualities.

A pot experiment was conducted from July to October 2024 in the plastic house belonging to the Horticulture Department, College of Agricultural Engineering Sciences, University of Sulaimani, located at (35 32 18.4 N and 45 21 55.3E) to examine the effect of mycorrhiza, nitrogen-fixing bacteria, and the interaction between them on maize (Zea mays L.) growth and nutrient uptake at different levels of NP fertilizers (0%, 25 %, 50 %, 75 %, 100 %) of dose, using urea and triple superphosphate as the source of NP. A Factorial experiment was conducted using a complete randomized design (CRD) with three replicates in silty clay soil collected in Kani Panka at a depth of 15–30 cm. Before harvesting, the plant height and chlorophyll intensity were measured, and then the plants were harvested to measure root and shoot dry weight, root colonization, and N, P, Fe, Mn, Zn, and Cu concentration in dry shoots. The results show that co-inoculation led to significantly greater plant height 85.67 cm, chlorophyll intensity (61.00 SPAD), root dry weight (3.46 g) and shoot dry weight (8.18 g) at 75% NP, while root colonization (77.67%) was highest at 50% NP fertilizer. Maize shoot N, P, Fe, Mn, Zn, and Cu content were respectively observed at (18.80 g Kg⁻¹, 1.37 g Kg⁻¹, 94.37 µg g⁻¹) at 50 % NP, (69.00 µg g⁻¹, 94.83 µg g⁻¹, and 44.00 µg g⁻¹) at 75 % NP fertilizer. Additionally,inoculation by Azotobacter chroococcum alone significantly increased plant growth and nutrient uptake, but mycorrhiza resulted in less effective for increases in plant growth and nutrient uptake compared to control.

Cobalt (Co) and molybdenum (Mo) are essential elements with a fundamental role in biological nitrogen fi xation inlegumes. Vitamins such as thiamine, despite being required in small quantities, infl uence plant growth. This study aimed to assess theeffi ciency of diff erent doses of thiamine applied as seed treatment, combined or not with Co and Mo, in enhancing the developmentof soybean crops. The experiment was conducted in a greenhouse according to a randomized block design with a 6 × 2 factorialarrangement, comprising six thiamine doses (0, 10, 25, 50, 100, and 200 mg kg−1) in the presence or absence of Co and Mo at therecommended rate of 100 mL ha−1. At 40 days after sowing, plants were analyzed for root length, root dry weight, shoot length, shootdry weight, nodule number, and nodule dry weight. Principal component analysis showed that combined application of Co and Mo withthiamine was negatively associated with all variables and that the thiamine doses most positively associated with the analyzed variableswere 50 and 200 mg kg−1. In treatments containing thiamine alone, there was a linear direct relationship between thiamine dose andnodule dry weight. Root and shoot lengths and dry weights were highest in plants treated with thiamine only at a dose of 122 mg kg−1.Application of Co and Mo combined with thiamine via seed treatment does not promote the development of soybean crops. Thiamineapplication is a promising treatment to increase shoot length, root dry weight, and nodule dry weight in soybean.

BackgroundSoil moisture deficiency causes yield reduction and instability in faba bean (Vicia faba L.) production. The extent of sensitivity to drought stress varies across accessions originating from diverse moisture regimes of the world. Hence, we conducted successive greenhouse experiments in pots and rhizotrons to explore diversity in root responses to soil water deficit.MethodsA set of 89 accessions from wet and dry growing regions of the world was defined according to the Focused Identification of Germplasm Strategy and screened in a perlite-sand medium under well watered conditions in a greenhouse experiment. Stomatal conductance, canopy temperature, chlorophyll concentration, and root and shoot dry weights were recorded during the fifth week of growth. Eight accessions representing the range of responses were selected for further investigation. Starting five days after germination, they were subjected to a root phenotyping experiment using the automated phenotyping platform GROWSCREEN-Rhizo. The rhizotrons were filled with peat-soil under well watered and water limited conditions. Root architectural traits were recorded five, 12, and 19 days after the treatment (DAT) began.ResultsIn the germplasm survey, accessions from dry regions showed significantly higher values of chlorophyll concentration, shoot and root dry weights than those from wet regions. Root and shoot dry weight as well as seed weight, and chlorophyll concentration were positively correlated with each other. Accession DS70622 combined higher values of root and shoot dry weight than the rest. The experiment in GROWSCREEN-Rhizo showed large differences in root response to water deficit. The accession by treatment interactions in taproot and second order lateral root lengths were significant at 12 and 19 DAT, and the taproot length was reduced up to 57% by drought. The longest and deepest root systems under both treatment conditions were recorded by DS70622 and DS11320, and total root length of DS70622 was three times longer than that of WS99501, the shortest rooted accession. The maximum horizontal distribution of a root system and root surface coverage were positively correlated with taproot and total root lengths and root system depth. DS70622 and WS99501 combined maximum and minimum values of these traits, respectively. Thus, roots of DS70622 and DS11320, from dry regions, showed drought-avoidance characteristics whereas those of WS99501 and Mèlodie/2, from wet regions, showed the opposite.DiscussionThe combination of the germplasm survey and use of GROWSCREEN-Rhizo allowed exploring of adaptive traits and detection of root phenotypic markers for potential drought avoidance. The greater root system depth and root surface coverage, exemplified by DS70622 and DS11320, can now be tested as new sources of drought tolerance.

Broad bean plants (Vicia faba L.) were cultivated in two field experiments at the Experimental Station of the Faculty of Environmental Agricultural Sciences, Arish University, North Sinai, Egypt, during 2018/2019 and 2019/2020 seasons under North Sinai condition, to study the effect of soil application of some biofertilizers and foliar spray with some wild plant extracts on broad bean plants. Biofertilizer treatments contained combination of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi (AMF) + Trichoderma harzianum + Rhizobium leguminosarum. Three wild plant extracts treatments; i.e., Qeysoom Gebeli (Achillea fragrantissima L.), Harmal (Peganum harmala L.) and Mitnaan (Thymelaea hirsute L.) were sprayed on plants. Treatments were arranged in a randomized complete block design with three replicates in split plot system. The results indicated that biofertilizers had significant effected of all studied traits in both seasons. Foliar spraying of Thymelaea hirsute extract had the highest stimulation effects on spores count, root colonization, mycorrhizal status, and weight of non-active nodules, broad bean plant growth characters; i.e. stem length, number of branches per plant, leaf area, and shoot fresh and dry weight as well as both of fresh and dry weight of roots. Both of Thymelaea hirsute and Achillea fragrantissima extracts combined with biofertilizer treatment had significant effects on yield and its components (pod length, number of pods per plant, average pod weight total yield per plant, and weight of seeds per pod) in both seasons. The combination between Thymelaea hirsute and biofertilizer was the superior interaction treatment of this study.

ABSTRACTCowpea is an important crop that serves as a legume and vegetable source to many smallholder farmers in sub-Saharan Africa. Soil fertility is a significant limitation to its production thus; inoculation with beneficial soil biota such as arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) could improve its performance. However, plant–AMF interaction could vary based on crop cultivar hence affecting overall crop production. The present study aimed at determining the effect of AMF inoculation and soil sterilization on root colonization and growth of a wild-type and three modern cowpea cultivars grown by smallholder farmers in Kenya. Potted cowpea plants were inoculated with a commercial AMF inoculum comprising of Rhizophagus irregularis, Funneliformis mosseae, Glomus aggregatum and Glomus etunicatum and maintained in a greenhouse for 40 days. After harvesting, mycorrhizal colonization, nodule number and dry weight, root and shoot dry weights, nitrogen (N,) phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) content were determined. Interestingly, the modern cultivars showed significantly (p < 0.001) higher root colonization, nodulation, shoot P and N compared to the wild-type cultivar. Moreover, a strong positive correlation between AMF root colonization and shoot P (r2 = 0.73, 0.90, p < 0.001), AMF root colonization and shoot N (r2 = 0.78; 0.89, p < 0.001) was observed in both sterilized and non-sterilized soil, respectively. Soil sterilization affected root colonization and growth parameters with plants grown in non-sterilized soil performing better than those grown in sterilized soil. This study provides major evidence that modern cowpea cultivars are still responsive to mycorrhizal inoculation suggesting that modern breeding programs are not deleterious AMF symbiosis.

The effect of two arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi, Glomus fasciculatum and G. macrocarpum on shoot and root dry weights and nutrient content of Cassia siamea in a semi-arid wasteland soil was evaluated. Under nursery conditions, mycorrhizal inoculation improved growth of seedlings. Root and shoot dry weights were higher in mycorrhizal than non-mycorrhizal plants. The concentration of P, K, Cu, Zn and Na was significantly higher in AM inoculated seedlings than in non-inoculated seedlings. Mycorrhization led to decrease in alkalinity of the rhizosphere soil from pH 8.5 to 7.4. Under nursery conditions, the degree of mycorrhizal dependency increased with age of C. siamea seedling. On transplantation to the field, the survival rate of mycorrhizal seedlings (75%–90%) was higher than that of non-mycorrhizal seedlings (40%). Besides better survival rate, AM inoculation improved the growth performance of seedlings in terms of height and stem diameter. Among the two AM fungi used, the efficiency of Glomus macrocarpum was higher than that of G. fasciculatum under both nursery and field conditions.

ABSTRACTThe study aimed to evaluate, in a marginal semi-arid Mediterranean agro-ecosystem (Sicily-Italy), the effects of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) inoculation and raw olive mill wastewater (OMW) (40 and 80 m3 ha−1) on forage (durum wheat-snail medick intercropping) yield, and grain production of broad bean and chickpea. AMF inoculation significantly increased (+13.6%) forage dry biomass and durum wheat nitrogen (+22.8%) and phosphorus (+32.5%) uptake. AMF inoculation, significantly promoted broad bean phosphorus uptake (+11.5%) and root nodule number (+13.9%) in the absence of OMW. OMW spreading reduced weeds in the forage (−31.3%), root nodule number (−29.7%) and dry weight (−22.7%) in broad bean. OMW also significantly increased snail medick dry biomass (+19.3%) as compared to control treatments (0, 40 and 80 m3 H2O ha−1, average production 361 g m−2), and broad bean grain yield with a production of 2.46 ± 0.12 and 1.94 ± 0.09 Mg ha−1 with and without OMW, respectively. During the experiment AMF colonization was not affected by OMW volumes. The results obtained showed that in a marginal Mediterranean agro-ecosystem: 1) OMW, notwithstanding spreading volumes, is a valuable amendment to maximize legume yield while 2) AMF inoculation is a valuable practice to improve biomass production and N and P uptake in wheat.

Capsicum annuum (pepper) plants were inoculated with the arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi Glomus intraradices Smith and Schenck, an undescribed Glomus sp. (AZ 112) or a mixture of these isolates. Control plants were non-mycorrhizal. Plants were grown for 8 weeks at moderate (20.7-25.4 degrees C) or high (32.1-38 degrees C) temperatures. Colonization of pepper roots by G. intraradices or the Glomus isolate mixture was lower at high than at moderate temperatures, but colonization by Glomus AZ112 was somewhat increased at high temperatures. Pepper shoot and root dry weights and leaf P levels were affected by an interaction between temperature and AM fungal treatments. At moderate temperatures, shoot dry weights of plants colonized by the Glomus isolate mixture or non-AM plants were highest, while root dry weights were highest for non-AM plants. At high temperatures, plants colonized by Glomus AZ112 or the non-AM plants had the lowest shoot and root dry weights. AM plants had generally higher leaf P levels at moderate temperatures and lower P levels at high temperatures than non-AM plants. AM plants also had generally higher specific soil respiration than non-AM plants regardless of temperature treatment. At moderate temperatures, P uptake by all AM plants was enhanced relative to non-AM plants but there was no corresponding enhancement of growth, possibly because less carbon was invested in root growth or root respiratory costs increased. At high temperatures, pepper growth with the G. intraradices isolate and the Glomus isolate mixture was enhanced relative to non-AM controls, despite reduced levels of AM colonization and, therefore, apparently less fungal P transfer to the plant.

During summer seasons of 2015 and 2017, a field experiment was conducted at the Research and Experimental Station (30°19′ N, 31°16′ E), Faculty of Agriculture, Ain Shams University at Shalakan, Kalubia Governorate, Egypt, to investi-gate the effects of combinations between hydroxyl apatite nanoparticles (0, 3, and 6 kg/fad) and cal-cium carbonate nanoparticles (0, 500g/fad) as nano-fertilizers under irrigaton intervals, (irrigation every 2 or 3 weeks whereas irrigation every 2 weeks as a recommended practice) on growth of soybean plants. Irrigation intervals had statistically significant effect on plant height (cm), number of branches per plant, number of leaves per plant, leaf area index, number of pods per plant, number of root nodules per plant, root dry weight per plant, stem dry weight per plant, leaves dry weight per plant and pods dry weight per plant. These results were fairly true in the two studied seasons 2015, 2017 and combined result. plant height, numbers of branches per plant, numbers of leaves per plant, leaf area index, number of nodules per plant and number of pods per plant of soybean plants which treated with 500 g/fed surpassed untreated plants in the two studied seasons 2015, 2017 and com-bined. Soybean plants treated with 6 kg hydroxyl apatite nanoparticles per feddan out-numbered other plants in its numbers of leaves per plant, leaf area index, number of root nodules per plant and number of pods per plant in the two growing sea-sons 2015, 2017 and combined data. Results showed that normal irrigation x 500g/fed calcium carbonate nanoparticles x 6kg/fed hydroxyl apatite nanoparticles was the effective combination for producing the highest values of plant height (cm), number of branches per plant, number of leaves per plant, leaf area index, number of pods per plant, number of root nodules per plant, root dry weight per plant (g), stem dry weight per plant (g), leaves dry weight per plant (g) and pods dry weight per plant (g). There weren’t significant results be-tween plants treated with nano-mineral fertilizers under irrigation every 3 week and plants untreated but irrigated every 2 week in all growth traits, which reflect appositive result of this chemical substance in mitigation harmful effect of water shortage in season 2015, 2017 and combined data.

The diversity of arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi of &lt;I&gt;Acacia catechu&lt;/I&gt; Willd. was studied. Dominant AM spores, the bacterium &lt;I&gt;Rhizobium&lt;/I&gt; sp. along with the fungus &lt;I&gt;Trichoderma viride&lt;/I&gt; were isolated from the rhizosphere of &lt;I&gt;A. catechu&lt;/I&gt; and mass-produced in laboratory. The co-inoculation effect of &lt;I&gt;Glomus mosseae, Glomus fasciculatum&lt;/I&gt;, mixed AM (&lt;I&gt;Glomus&lt;/I&gt; spp. [except &lt;I&gt;G. mosseae, G. fasciculatum&lt;/I&gt;] with &lt;I&gt;Acaulospora&lt;/I&gt; spp., &lt;I&gt;Sclerocystis&lt;/I&gt; spp. and &lt;I&gt;Gigaspora&lt;/I&gt; spp.), &lt;I&gt;Rhizobium&lt;/I&gt; sp. and &lt;I&gt;Trichoderma viride&lt;/I&gt; was studied as exerted on the growth of &lt;I&gt;A. catechu&lt;/I&gt; seedlings. All inoculated seedlings showed improved seedling growth compared to the control. Inoculated seedlings had a pronounced effect on all growth parameters such as height, fresh and dry weight of roots and shoots, AM spore count, per cent mycorrhizal colonization in roots and root nodule number in comparison with uninoculated seedlings. Phosphorus uptake was also higher in inoculated seedlings than in the control. This study provides a good scope for commercially utilizing the efficient strains of AM fungi for beneficial effects with other beneficial rhizosphere microflora in the primary establishment of slow growing seedlings ensuring better survival and improved growth.

Shoot and Root Growth of Austrian Pine and Norway Spruce Seedlings in Mini-Containers