Abstract
In recent years, the addition of microorganisms such as Plant Growth-Promoting Bacteria (PGPB) and mycorrhiza are becoming more popular, both in research as well as in practical use. While inoculants are usually not necessary for plants cultivated outdoors on biologically active soil, they can be useful on sterile substrates, newly created artificial landscapes, and also in soils that have been managed using non-selective sterilization methods, such as fumigation. In a multi-year lysimeter experiment, we investigated the influence of a commercial mycorrhizal inoculum on water use efficiency and biomass production of maize (Zea mays), sunflower (Helianthus annuus), sweet clover (Melilotus officinalis), sweet sorghum (Sorghum bicolor), cup-plant (Silphium perfoliatum) and tall wheatgrass (Elymus elongatus subsp. ponticus cv. Szarvasi-1) when exposed to high or low ground-water levels. Results showed that all plants benefited from the mycorrhizal association. Mycorrhizal-inoculated plants were more successful in terms of dry matter production and water use than the non-mycorrhizal plants. The source of the mycorrhiza—autochthonous or introduced—made no significant difference. The results indicate that inoculation with mycorrhiza and promotion of the naturally abundant mycorrhiza in agricultural production systems can significantly contribute to a sustainable production of crops. Effects depended on plant species, cultivar, soil type, ground-water level and the mycotrophy of the individual crop species.
Highlights
Since 1992, there are horticultural potting soils available that contain Bacillus subtilis and commercial endomycorrhiza inoculum
El Husseini et al [5] and Chowdhury et al [6] demonstrated the beneficial impact of organic fertilizer containing Bacillus subtilis (FZB24®) or Bacillus amyloliquefaciens (RhizoVital®42), respectively on crop production systems
This study focused on the influence of a commercial mycorrhizal inoculum on water use efficiency and biomass production of maize, sunflower, sweet clover, sweet sorghum, cup-plant (Silphium perfoliatum), and tall wheatgrass (Elymus elongatus subsp. ponticus) when exposed to high or low ground-water levels in lysimeter experiments
Summary
Since 1992, there are horticultural potting soils available that contain Bacillus subtilis and commercial endomycorrhiza inoculum (predominantly Funneliformis mosseae and Rhizophagus irregularis). A commercial endomycorrhiza inoculum is produced in greenhouses on expanded clay, with proliferation of mycorrhizal fungi on suitable host plants such as Zea mays cv. Twenty kilogram (60 L) of the inoculated expanded clay is mixed with one ton of organic fertilizer This fertilizer called “MYKO-AKTIV” (Cuxin DCM, Telgte, Germany) is used for the preparation of different horticultural potting soil. Arbuscular mycorrhiza (AM), the symbiotic association between soil fungi and plant roots, are known to protect host plants from the harmful effects of drought [7,9,10,11,12] and can improve the nutrient uptake and growth of plants under water stress conditions. This study focused on the influence of a commercial mycorrhizal inoculum on water use efficiency and biomass production of maize, sunflower, sweet clover, sweet sorghum, cup-plant (Silphium perfoliatum), and tall wheatgrass This study focused on the influence of a commercial mycorrhizal inoculum on water use efficiency and biomass production of maize, sunflower, sweet clover, sweet sorghum, cup-plant (Silphium perfoliatum), and tall wheatgrass (Elymus elongatus subsp. ponticus) when exposed to high or low ground-water levels in lysimeter experiments
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