Interactions between Mycorrhizal Fungi, Tea Wastes, and Algal Biomass Affecting the Microbial Community, Soil Structure, and Alleviating of Salinity Stress in Corn Yield (Zeamays L.).

Salwan Al-Maliki,Mugtaba Al-Masoudi

doi:10.3390/plants7030063

Salwan Al-Maliki, Mugtaba Al-Masoudi

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/plants7030063

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Abstract

Soil salinity has an adverse impact on soil biological properties and growth of corn plant, majorly in arid and semi-arid lands. A mesocosm experiment was conducted to investigate the effect of mycorrhizal fungi (M) (Glomus mosseae), tea wastes (T), algal dried biomass (A), and their combinations on soil respiration, total bacteria, total fungi, soil mean weight diameter (MWD), and corn yield (Zea mays L.). under saline and non-saline soils. Results showed that M, T, and A treatments increased significantly CO2 release compared to the control. Whereas, M significantly decreased CO2 release compared to T and A treatments. In non-saline soil, M increased greatly MWD, bacterial and fungal counts, and infection rate. Whereas, the opposite was true in the saline soil; neither M nor T improved bacterial communities and MWD. However, in the saline soil, M + T was highly efficient in improving MWD, SOC, bacterial and fungal counts, infection rate, and corn grain yield. It can be suggested that the inoculation of mycorrhizal fungi with tea wastes in saline soils considered an important strategy that increases the toleration of the corn plant to salinity by improving soil microbial activity, MWD, SOC, infection rate, and total grain yield.

Highlights

In recent years, soil salinity has become one of the most severe ecological factors in many countries of the world in the arid and semi-arid lands [1,2]
It can be suggested that the inoculation of mycorrhizal fungi with tea wastes in saline soils considered an important strategy that increases the toleration of the corn plant to salinity by improving soil microbial activity, mean weight diameter (MWD), SOC, infection rate, and total grain yield
In non-saline soil, the results showed that the highest increase of the bacterial and fungal communities (p < 0.01; p < 0.01) was when M added without significant increase of the bacterial and fungal communities (p < 0.01; p < 0.01) was when M added organic wastes compared to the rest of the treatments (Figures 3 and 4)

Summary

Introduction

Soil salinity has become one of the most severe ecological factors in many countries of the world in the arid and semi-arid lands [1,2]. The negative intensified effects of salinity in the arid and semi-arid lands were due to the heavy fertilization and improper irrigation [6]. AM fungi are capable of increasing the endurance of plants to salt stress by enhancing plant nutrient uptake and ion balance [8,9]. AM fungi alleviates salt stress in plant and have a capacity to protect soil enzymes and soil organic matter [10,11], and concurrently facilitating the uptake of water [12]

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