Abstract
Effects of P level in nutrient solution and the colonization of roots by arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) on P uptake by tomato plants, their nutritional status, yield and quality of fruits were studied. Plants were grown on rockwool or coconut coir. Inoculation by a mixture of several AMF species was performed three times during the growing period. The mycorrhizal frequency in roots inoculated with AMF amounted to 35.79 – 50.82%. The highest level of mycorrhiza was found in plants receiving nutrient solution with a lower concentration of P. Among the experimental factors, only P level influenced the fruit yield, being higher from plants receiving a nutrient solution with a higher P level. A higher concentration of P in nutrient solution imposed better nutritional status of plants. Higher contents of ascorbic acid and total soluble sugars were found in fruits collected from inoculated plants, grown on rockwool.
Highlights
Cultivation of plants under cover has been dominated by soilless cultures, including hydroponics
Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), which live in symbiosis with at least 80% of all plants on earth (Gianinazzi and Gianinazzi-Pearson 1986), perform similar functions in traditional cultivation and nurseries
The effectiveness of inoculation was proved in both periods of assessing the degree of tomato root colonization by arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF)
Summary
Cultivation of plants under cover has been dominated by soilless cultures, including hydroponics In this type of cultivation, the plant root system develops in a small volume of growing medium. The AMF stimulate the hormones regulating plant growth and increase the rate of photosynthesis (Wu and Zou 2010, Zhu et al 2014) It has been reported, that the symbiosis of plants with mycorrhizal fungi increases the resistance of plants to stress caused by heavy metals, as a result of increased nutrient availability and synthesis of phytohormones and improved structure of the substrate, which strengthens the plant in harsh environmental conditions (Ryan and Graham 2002, Turnau et al 2002, Al-Karaki 2006)
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