Abstract
Sweet potato is an increasingly significant crop and its effective and sustainable cultivation has become important in temperate countries. The purpose of this pilot study was to investigate the effects of a mycorrhizal inoculum, Symbivit, and whether it could establish a symbiotic relationship with the seedlings of two sweet potato varieties (orange and purple). The effectiveness of the mycorrhizal inoculation with a sterilized substrate on the mycorrhizal parameters (F%, M%, m%, a%, A%) and physical parameters “[length of roots and shoots (cm), the fresh weight of shoots and roots (g) as well as the length of stem (cm)]” on the sweet potato seedlings has also been studied. Results show that the sterilization treatment with Symbivit in both varieties increased the frequency of mycorrhiza in the root system. For the intensity of the mycorrhizal colonization in the root fragments and the arbuscular abundance, there was a difference between the mycorrhizal inoculum and the sterilization treatment among the varieties. Overall, the preliminary results provided remarkable information about mycorrhizal inoculation, substrate sterilization on mycorrhizal development, as well as changes in the physical parameters between sweet potato seedlings. Our results could serve as a practical strategy for further research into adding significance to the effect of the beneficial soil microbes on sweet potatoes.
Highlights
IntroductionSweet potato (Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam.) belongs to the Convolvulaceae family [1]
Sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam.) belongs to the Convolvulaceae family [1].Currently, this plant is mostly grown in tropical and subtropical areas, with adequate water supply [2]
The main aims of the current study are to investigate if the mycorrhizal inoculum is effective in developing a symbiotic relationship with sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam.) roots, which will affect the physiological and physical parameters of the plant; to examine if the sterilization of the substrate has an influence on the mycorrhizal colonization
Summary
Sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam.) belongs to the Convolvulaceae family [1]. This plant is mostly grown in tropical and subtropical areas, with adequate water supply [2]. Sweet potato contains many secondary metabolites, antioxidant compounds including anthocyanins, carotenoids and vitamin C [4,5]. Tubers contain high amounts of minerals likes zinc, potassium, sodium, manganese, calcium, magnesium, and iron. They are rich in carbohydrates and fibre [6]
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