Abstract
Viola tricolor L. (heartsease, wild pansy) is a valuable medicinal plant obtained for pharmaceutical purposes by cultivation. Given that the species is usually strongly colonized by arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), we tested in a pot experiment whether these microorganisms were able to influence V. tricolor mass, vitality, and the concentrations of selected elements, phenolic acids and flavonoids. The following treatments were prepared: (1) control: sterile soil without AMF inoculation; (2) Rhizophagus irregularis BEG144; (3) Funneliformis mosseae BEG12; and (4) both isolates. Using a combination of physiological, phytochemical and biophysical methods, we evaluated the effects of these AMF on the performance of heartsease. The intensity of mycorrhizal colonization and arbuscule formation was higher when F. mosseae and R. irregularis were introduced separately than when both isolates were present. None of the AMF treatments had an impact either on V. tricolor vitality as expressed by photosynthetic performance index (PI) or on its shoot and root mass. However, in general, a negative correlation was found between the extent of mycorrhizal colonization and shoot mass. We found AMF species specificities in their influence on element, phenolic acid and flavonoid concentrations. Viola tricolor showed no response to F. mosseae. The plants inoculated with R. irregularis had higher concentrations of P, Zn, Mg, and Ca, as well as p-hydroxybenzoic acid and rutin, in comparison to control. Dual AMF species inoculation increased concentrations of Cu, Mg and rutin. The enhanced production of secondary metabolites in V. tricolor shoots may be due to improved mineral nutrition by AMF and/or a result of general plant defense reaction to fungal colonization. The tendency towards biomass decrease in AMF treatments could be explained by the allocation of plant carbon both to the maintenance of symbionts and enhanced production of secondary compounds.
Highlights
Over 35,000 medicinal plant species are used in medicine in different regions of the world (Kozłowski et al.2009)
The enhanced production of secondary metabolites in V. tricolor shoots may be due to improved mineral nutrition by arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and/or a result of general plant defense reaction to fungal colonization
The tendency towards biomass decrease in AMF treatments could be explained by the allocation of plant carbon both to the maintenance of symbionts and enhanced production of secondary compounds
Summary
Over 35,000 medicinal plant species are used in medicine in different regions of the world (Kozłowski et al.2009). To meet the increasing demand for plants utilized in the herbal industry, recent research has emphasized the development of new techniques to improve the quality and quantity of plant material obtained from agricultural production. These techniques to enhance the biomass and standards of medicinal plants may include the proper management of indigenous arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and the inoculation of plants with AMF during cultivation (Gianinazzi et al 2010; Zeng et al 2013). Given that the species is usually strongly colonized by arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), we tested in a pot experiment whether these microorganisms were able to influence V. tricolor mass, vitality, and the concentrations of selected elements, phenolic acids and flavonoids
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