Abstract
Nowadays, applying bio-organic fertilizer (e.g., chitosan, Ch) or integrating beneficial microorganisms (e.g., arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, AMF) are among the successful strategies to promote plant growth. Here, the effect of two application modes of Ch (foliar spray or root treatment) and Ch-derived nanoparticles (NPs) on tomato plants colonized with the AMF Rhizophagus irregularis were analyzed, thereby focusing on plant biomass, flowering and mycorrhization. An increase of shoot biomass and flower number was observed in arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) plants sprayed with Ch. The interaction with AMF, however, was reduced as shown by decreased mycorrhization rates and AM-specific gene expression. To get insights into Ch effect on mycorrhization, levels of sugars, jasmonates, abscisic acid, and the expression of two chitinase-encoding genes were determined in mycorrhizal roots. Ch had no effect on sugar and phytohormone levels, but the reduced mycorrhization was correlated with down- and upregulated expression of Chi3 and Chi9, respectively. In contrast, application of NPs to leaves and Ch applied to the soil did not show any effect, neither on mycorrhization rate nor on growth of mycorrhizal plants. Concluding, Ch application to leaves enhanced plant growth and flowering and reduced interaction with AMF, whereas root treatment did not affect these parameters.
Highlights
Plant growth, characterized by cell division, cell expansion and changes in endogenous level of metabolites, gene expression, and tissues functions, is influenced by changes in the environment, such as changing supply of water, light, nutrients, and interactions of plants to other living organisms, leading often to alterations in levels of phytohormones that control plant responses.In modern agriculture, there is a massive use of pesticides in order to promote growth and to prevent unacceptable losses of agricultural products
The effect of two application modes of Ch and Ch-derived nanoparticles (NPs) on tomato plants colonized with the arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) Rhizophagus irregularis were analyzed, thereby focusing on plant biomass, flowering and mycorrhization
To get deeper insight into the interaction between chitinous products and AMF, as well as its effects, we have studied the effect of two application modes of Ch and one application mode of NPs in combination with the AMF Rhizophagus irregularis on tomato growth, mycorrhization rate and expression of genes encoding endochitinases
Summary
Plant growth, characterized by cell division, cell expansion and changes in endogenous level of metabolites, gene expression, and tissues functions, is influenced by changes in the environment, such as changing supply of water, light, nutrients, and interactions of plants to other living organisms, leading often to alterations in levels of phytohormones that control plant responses.In modern agriculture, there is a massive use of pesticides in order to promote growth and to prevent unacceptable losses of agricultural products. The application of natural products (e.g., Chitosan) attracted many attentions and is nowadays considered to be a very good alternative to pesticides [1,2]. Chitosan (Ch) is a carbohydrate derivative from chitin Both of them are composed of D-glucosamine and N-acetyl-D-glucosamine units, which are linked by glycosidic bond β-(1→4). The increase in demand for Ch instead of chitin is due to its large function in different field areas [3]. There are many studies focusing on the production of nanostructured Ch called nanoparticles (NPs) of Ch. The successful application of NPs is due to its nanometer size enabling uptake into plant cells, their large surface area, cationic nature, active functional groups, porosity and higher encapsulation efficiency [8]
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