Abstract
(1) Background: Soil salinity impacts plant growth and productivity in steppic regions. Thus, the current study aims at producing, at low cost, an inoculum composed of native arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) strains adapted to saline soil management. (2) Methods: The propagation of the native AMF strains was carried out in three natural saline soils presenting increasing salinity levels (4.5, 8.5 and 9.3 dS·m−1 in Boughzoul (BG), Salt Rocket (SR) and Zaafrane (ZA) sites, respectively). Three host plant species (alfalfa, clover and leek) were tested as trap cultures. AMF spore richness and diversity, the quantification of soil microbial biomass and the determination of the most probable number (MPN) were carried out before and after 24 months culture. Moreover, the mycorrhizal rates of the host plant species were assessed. (3) Results: The moderate saline soil (SR) planted with alfalfa was found to be the most suitable for AMF inoculum production with a maximum of 650 spores, 10 g−1 of soil, a mycorrhizal rate of 86%, 70 propagules·g−1 of soil and the highest microbial biomass content. (4) Conclusion: This study points out the best combination for the production of a more adapted AMF biofertilizer for saline soil management and proposes several indicators for biofertilizer quality evaluation.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.