Mycorrhizal Species Research Articles

Beneficial effects of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi on wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) nutritional status and tolerance indices under soil salinity stress

This pot experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of the inoculation by the mycorrhizal species (Funneliformis mosseae and Rhizophagus intraradices) in salt-tolerant and -sensitive wheat cultivars (Roshan and Bahar) under three salinity levels (0, 75, and 150 mM NaCl). Salinity significantly decreased shoot and root biomass of both cultivars but to a smaller extent in Roshan. The reductions in biomass were accompanied by decreases in N, P, and K and increases in proline and Malondialdehyde (MDA) and antioxidant enzyme activity. The salt-tolerant cultivar showed less decreases in nutrient content and higher increases in proline and antioxidant enzyme activities. Peroxidase as compared to catalase and ascorbate peroxidase showed a higher contribution in salt tolerance induction. Mycorrhizal inoculation improved plant growth by increasing nutrient content, antioxidant enzyme activity, and decreasing lipid peroxidation. The positive effects of inoculation were in most cases greater on the plants inoculated by F. mosseae. The superiority of this species was associated with lower increases in MDA and H2O2 accompanied by greater increases in the root area and volume, shoot N, P, and K/Na and antioxidant enzyme activities. Higher benefits from mycorrhizal inoculation were taken as the level of salinity was increased. The salt-tolerant cultivar was more positively responsive to mycorrhizal inoculation under non-saline treatment, but the sensitive cultivar was more affected by inoculation under saline conditions. The results from this experiment showed that mycorrhizal inoculation could promote the growth and salt tolerance of wheat cultivars by improving osmoregulation, antioxidant enzyme activity, and reducing lipid peroxidation.

Ранні наслідки впливу лісової пожежі на різноманітність грибних угруповань соснових лісів Лівобережної України з особливим акцентом на мікоризних грибах

Forest fires constitute widespread and potentially destructive disturbances in forest ecosystems, particularly negative impact on soil mycorrhizal fungi which are major players of the belowground plant. This study investigated the short-term effects of wildfire on fungal communities in Left-Bank Ukraine with special emphasis on mycorrhizal fungi. During the fourteen months after autumn wildfire, fruiting bodies found in the plots were identified, and their mycological richness, diversity and production in both burned and unburnt areas were measured. Total fungal diversity decreased in burned plots, where fungal richness and diversity of mycorrhizal species were significantly lower. Our results also confirmed the data on a rather destructive influence of post-fire forest management on fungal diversity. Only three mycorrhizal fungi associated with Pinus sylvestris L. were common to both sites while pyrophilic species were in close association with burned sites.
 3 Figs., 1 Table, 31 Refs.
 Key words: mycorrhiza, pine plantation, post-fire erosion, wildfire.

Effects of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi on Maize Growth, Root Colonization, and Root Exudates Varied with Inoculum and Application Method

The use of arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi is considered as an effective approach to enhance plants’ growth; nevertheless, its efficacy may vary with the type of inoculum and its application method. The present study, for the first time, investigates the effects of different mycorrhizal species applied through different methods on morpho-physiological growth, root system architecture, nutrient uptake, and root exudates of maize. Four AM fungi species viz., Claroideoglomus etunicatum (C.E), Rhizophagus intraradices (R.I), Funneliformis mosseae (F.M), and Diversispora versiformis (D.V) were applied to maize through seed coating, soil application, or seed coating+ soil application. A control without AM fungi was maintained for comparison. All the thirteen treatments were arranged in completely randomized design with three replications. Application of C.E, R.I, F.M, and D.V through different methods triggered the growth performance of maize by improving morpho-physiological characteristics and root morphology, modulating AM fungi colonization, enhancing the nutrient (N, P, K) uptake, and reducing the root exudates (oxalic, malonic, fumaric, malic, citric, and T-aconitic) compared with control. Among the different mycorrhizal species, F.M applied particularly through seed coating+ soil application was more effective in regulating maize growth as compared with C.E, R.I, or D.V species owing to better root system, higher root colonization, and greater nutrient uptake in this treatment. Interestingly, seed coating of F.M recorded statistically similar or higher shoot and root growth attributes compared with soil application particularly at 30 days after sowing. In crux, F.M applied through seed coating + soil application performed better than that of other mycorrhizal species. The obtained results also suggest that seed coating can be a cheap, viable, and efficient delivery system of AM fungi particularly for large scale application, as AM fungi seed coating had faster and greater effect on maize growth compared with soil application during early growth stages.

Gene expression analysis for selection and validation of suitable housekeeping gene(s) in cadmium exposed pigeonpea plants inoculated with arbuscular mycorrhizae

The expression stability of six commonly used housekeeping genes (18S rRNA-18S ribosomal RNA, EF1α-elongation factor 1α, ACT1-Actin 1, GAPDH-Glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase, TUB6-Tubulin/FtsZ family and UBC-Ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme) were scrutinized in leaves and roots of Cd stressed pigeonpea plants inoculated with arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) species- Rhizoglomus intraradices (Ri), Funneliformis mosseae (Fm), Claroideoglomus etunicatum (Ce), C. claroideum (Cc). The stability profile of each gene was assessed using ΔCt, BestKeeper, NormFinder, RefFinder and geNorm algorithmic programs, which ranked different genes as most and least stable according to the tissues analysed. All the statistical algorithms ranked TUB6 as most stable and EF1α least stable housekeeping (HK) genes in both the plant tissues. The selected HK genes were verified using metallothionein (CcMT1) i.e. a stress responsive gene, whose expression altered under conditions of metal stress and AM inoculation. The expression pattern of CcMT1 varied highly when least stable reference gene was used for normalization as compared to most stable gene, under different treatments. Thus, there is a need of selecting suitable reference gene to achieve reliable results in gene expression studies using quantitative real time PCR (qRT-PCR). The study conducted will help future gene expression analysis in pigeonpea under specific stress.

Effect of cadmium on sorghum root colonization by glomeral fungi and its impact on total and easily extractable glomalin production.

Glomalin is a specific glycoprotein compound synthesized by glomeral fungi and its amount varies according to soil conditions. Due to the symbiosis of these fungi with a multitude of plants, a remarkable amount of glomalin is produced inside the hypha wall of these fungi. Furthermore, while increasing the symbiosis stability, glomalin plays a critical role in reducing the availability of potentially toxic elements (PTEs) through their fixation. In this regard, soil contamination with PTEs such as cadmium (Cd) affects the glomalin production of mycorrhiza fungi. In order to investigate the effect of different levels of Cd on glomalin production of three species of arbuscular mycorrhiza fungi in the presence of sorghum, a greenhouse experiment was conducted in a completely randomized design with factorial arrangement and three repetitions. Factors include four levels of Cd (0, 5, 10, 20 milligrams per kilogram of soil) and second factor included these three types of mycorrhiza: Funneliformis mosseae (FM), Rhizophagus intraradices (RI), and Claroideoglomus etunicatum (CE). The results of this study showed that when increasing soil Cd concentration, shoot dry weight, root colonization percentage, total and easily extractable glomalin decreased while leaf proline concentration, shoot, and root Cd concentration increased. The presence of mycorrhiza in comparison with the control increased the dry weight of shoots and plant height. The results showed that mycorrhizal treatments increased total and easily extractable glomalin compared to the absence of mycorrhiza. Also, the highest amount of glomalin production was observed in two species of FM and CE. Complexation of Cd by total glomalin and easily extractable glomalin was higher in two species of FM and CE rather than RI. The results showed that the use of three species of mycorrhizae reduced the adverse effects of high levels of Cd. Also, the concentration of leaf proline, soluble sugars, shoot, and root Cd concentration was higher in presence of mycorrhizal fungal species than in plant not inoculated with mycorrhizal fungal species. This increase was significant in both FM and CE species. Finally, a notable positive correlation was also observed between glomalin measured by Bradford method and percentage of root colonization.

Anatomical patterns of condensed tannin in fine roots of tree species from a cool-temperate forest

Condensed tannin (CT) is an important compound in plant biological structural defence and for tolerance of herbivory and environmental stress. However, little is known of the role and location of CT within the fine roots of woody plants. To understand the role of CT in fine roots across diverse species of woody dicot, we evaluated the localization of CT that accumulated in root tissue, and examined its relationships with the stele and cortex tissue in cross-sections of roots in 20 tree species forming different microbial symbiotic groups (ectomycorrhiza and arbuscular mycorrhiza). In a cool-temperate forest in Japan, cross-sections of sampled roots in different branching order classes, namely, first order, second to third order, fourth order, and higher than fourth order (higher order), were measured in terms of the length-based ratios of stele diameter and cortex thickness to root diameter. All root samples were then stained with ρ-dimethylaminocinnamaldehyde solution and we determined the ratio of localized CT accumulation area to the root cross-section area (CT ratio). Stele ratio tended to increase with increasing root order, whereas cortex ratio either remained unchanged or decreased with increasing order in all species. The CT ratio was significantly positively correlated to the stele ratio and negatively correlated to the cortex ratio in second- to fourth-order roots across species during the shift from primary to secondary root growth. Ectomycorrhiza-associated species mostly had a higher stele ratio and lower cortex ratio than arbuscular mycorrhiza-associated species across root orders. Compared with arbuscular mycorrhiza species, there was greater accumulation of CT in response to changes in the root order of ectomycorrhiza species. Different development patterns of the stele, cortex and CT accumulation along the transition from root tip to secondary roots could be distinguished between different mycorrhizal associations. The CT in tissues in different mycorrhizal associations could help with root protection in specific branching orders during shifts in stele and cortex development before and during cork layer formation.

Arbuscular Mycorrhizas and Phosphorus Fertilizer Affect Photosynthetic Capacity and Antioxidant Enzyme Activity in Peppermint Under Different Water Conditions

In order to investigate the effect of arbuscular mycorrhizas and phosphorus levels on photosynthetic capacity and enzyme activity in peppermint under different water conditions, an experiment was conducted during the 2017–2018 growing seasons. The experimental treatments comprised water deficiency at three levels (a1: irrigation after 70 mm evaporation from pan of Class A, a2: irrigation after 110 mm evaporation from pan of Class A, and a3: irrigation after 150 mm evaporation from pan of Class A), phosphorus fertilizer at three levels (without phosphorus fertilization, 25% recommended phosphorus amount, and 50% recommended phosphorus amount), and different mycorrhiza species (nonmycorrhizal inoculation, <em>Rhizophagus intraradices</em>, <em>Funneliformis mosseae</em>, <em>Glomus hoi</em>, and mixture of all three species). Results showed that water stress significantly reduced chlorophyll <em>a</em>, chlorophyll <em>b</em>, total chlorophyll, and essential oil yield, but increased the stomatal resistance of peppermint. The essential oil yield of peppermint was significantly reduced by severe water deficit (a3). However, inoculation with <em>R. intraradices</em>, <em>G. hoi</em>, and a mixture of all three species under severe water deficit, increased the essential oil percentage of peppermint by 21%, 21%, and 31.5%, respectively. Application of 50% recommended phosphorus fertilizer increased the yield of essential oil by 18.9%. In addition, menthol increased by 24.1% (highest) under a3 irrigation, using 25% of the optimal dosage of phosphate fertilizer and nonmycorrhizal inoculation. The maximum catalase and peroxidase activity was obtained in the treatment of <em>G. hoi </em>mycorrhizal fertilizer, after application of 25% recommended dose of phosphorus fertilizer and a2 and a3 irrigation.

Compatible Mycorrhizal Types Contribute to a Better Design for Mixed Eucalyptus Plantations.

Mixed-species forest plantation is a sound option to facilitate ecological restoration, plant diversity and ecosystem functions. Compatible species combinations are conducive to reconstruct plant communities that can persist at a low cost without further management and even develop into natural forest communities. However, our understanding of how the compatibility of mycorrhizal types mediates species coexistence is still limited, especially in a novel agroforestry system. Here, we assessed the effects of mycorrhizal association type on the survival and growth of native woody species in mixed-species Eucalyptus plantations. To uncover how mycorrhizal type regulates plant-soil feedbacks, we first conducted a pot experiments by treating distinct mycorrhizal plants with soil microbes from their own or other mycorrhizal types. We then compared the growth response of arbuscular mycorrhizal plants and ectomycorrhizal plants to different soil microbial compositions associated with Eucalyptus plants. We found that the type of mycorrhizal association had a significant impact on the survival and growth of native tree species in the Eucalyptus plantations. The strength and direction of the plant-soil feedbacks of focal tree species depended on mycorrhizal type. Non-mycorrhizal plants had consistent negative feedbacks with the highest survival in the Eucalyptus plantations, whereas nitrogen-fixing plants had consistent positive feedbacks and the lowest survival. Arbuscular mycorrhizal and ectomycorrhizal plants performed varied feedback responses to soil microbes from distinct mycorrhizal plant species. Non-mycorrhizal plants grew better with Eucalyptus soil microbes while nitrogen-fixing plants grew worse with their own conspecific soil microbes. Different soil microbial compositions of Eucalyptus consistently increased the aboveground growth of arbuscular mycorrhizal plants, but the non-mycorrhizal microbial composition of the Eucalyptus soil resulted in greater belowground growth of ectomycorrhizal plants. Overall, Eucalyptus plants induced an unfavorable soil community, impeding coexistence with other mycorrhizal plants. Our study provides consistent observational and experimental evidence that mycorrhizal-mediated plant-microbial feedback on species coexistence among woody species. These findings are with important implications to optimize the species combinations for better design of mixed forest plantations.

Partial mycoheterotrophy is common among chlorophyllous plants with Paris-type arbuscular mycorrhiza.

An arbuscular mycorrhiza is a mutualistic symbiosis with plants as carbon providers for fungi. However, achlorophyllous arbuscular mycorrhizal species are known to obtain carbon from fungi, i.e. they are mycoheterotrophic. These species all have the Paris type of arbuscular mycorrhiza. Recently, two chlorophyllous Paris-type species proved to be partially mycoheterotrophic. In this study, we explore the frequency of this condition and its association with Paris-type arbuscular mycorrhiza. We searched for evidence of mycoheterotrophy in all currently published 13C, 2H and 15N stable isotope abundance patterns suited for calculations of enrichment factors, i.e. isotopic differences between neighbouring Paris- and Arum-type species. We found suitable data for 135 plant species classified into the two arbuscular mycorrhizal morphotypes. About half of the chlorophyllous Paris-type species tested were significantly enriched in 13C and often also enriched in 2H and 15N, compared with co-occurring Arum-type species. Based on a two-source linear mixing model, the carbon gain from the fungal source ranged between 7 and 93 % with ferns > horsetails > seed plants. The seed plants represented 13 families, many without a previous record of mycoheterotrophy. The 13C-enriched chlorophyllous Paris-type species were exclusively herbaceous perennials, with a majority of them thriving on shady forest ground. Significant carbon acquisition from fungi appears quite common and widespread among Paris-type species, this arbuscular mycorrhizal morphotype probably being a pre-condition for developing varying degrees of mycoheterotrophy.

Plastic responses of fine root morphology and architecture traits to nitrogen addition in ectomycorrhizal and arbuscular mycorrhizal tree species in an evergreen broadleaved forest.

We measured the morphology traits (specific root length, specific root surface area, root tissue density, average root diameter) and architecture traits (root fork, root fork ratio, increase rate of root length, root tip density, root fork density) of fine roots in two mycorrhiza tree species, Castanopsis faberi (ectomycorrhizal) and Schima superba (arbuscular mycorrhizal), in an evergreen broadleaved forest in the middle subtropical zone. Root bags method was used in an in situ nitrogen deposition experiment. The aim of this study was to reveal the differences in the plastic responses of fine root morphology and architecture traits to nitrogen deposition between the different mycorrhizal trees. The plastic responses of specific root length, specific root surface area and root fork to nitrogen addition decreased from the first-order root to the fourth-order root, while root tissue density showed an opposite pattern. Such a result indicated a trade-off between nutrient acquisition and resource maintenance of different fine root orders. Different mycorrhizal tree species adopted diffe-rent adaptation strategies to the variations of soil nitrogen availability. C. faberi adopted an opportuni-stic strategy, which relied on fine root to improve nutrient absorption efficiency, enhanced the capacity of space expansion and in-situ nutrient absorption to focus on rapid nutrient absorption strategy. S. superba did not change fine root morphological traits through the trade-off between nutrient absorption efficiency and root construction cost, but relied more on the complementarity between mycorrhizal fungi and fine root architecture traits for nutrient acquisition. The differences in the cost of maintaining and constructing fine root C between different mycorrhizal trees led to fine root adopting the most suitable nutrient capture strategy.

Exploration of Mycorrhiza from Lombok soils in media sterilized by gamma irradiation and their effect on Sorghum plants

Mycorrhiza which plays a role in increasing P uptake of plants and also as a soil amendment to rehabilitate degraded lands. This research was conducted with the aim of isolating, characterizing, and purifying mycorrhiza from two different soil types. The results showed that the mycorrhiza species found were Glomus etunicatum, Gigaspora margarita, Sclerocytis rubiformis. A completely randomized design (CRD) consisted of 6 treatments were applied into two types of soil, was Lombok soil and Parung soil. Each treatment was repeated 3 times, so that there were 36 experimental units. Treatments given were as follow: (1) Without mycorrhiza and without P source (Control); (2) fertilizer SP-36; (3) Mycofer mycorrhiza; (4) Mycofer Mycorrhiza + SP 36 fertilizer; (5) Mikorbi mycorrhiza from Lombok; (6) Mikorbi mycorrhiza from Lombok + SP 36 fertilizer. The results showed that combination mikorbi mycorrhiza and fertilizer SP 36 on Parung soil can increase stover production by 57.35% compared to control, by 9.73% compared to the mycofer mycorrhiza and fertilizer SP 36. The results showed that mycorrhiza is suitable to use in soils with low P content, so that they could help increase the availability of P in the soil and be easily absorbed by plants.

Distribution of plant mycorrhizal traits along an elevational gradient does not fully mirror the latitudinal gradient.

The influence of mycorrhizal symbiosis on ecosystem processes depends on the mycorrhizal type and status of plants. Early research hypothesized that the proportion of arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) species decreases and of ectomycorrhizal (ECM) and ericoid mycorrhizal (ERM) species increases along increasing elevations and latitudes. However, there is very scarce information about this pattern along elevation gradients. We aimed to test this hypothesis and to describe the trends in plant mycorrhizal status by examining the Pyrenean mountain range (from 400 to 3400m asl). The distribution of plant mycorrhizal types: AM, ECM, ERM, and non-mycorrhizal (NM) and status (obligately, OM, or facultatively, FM mycorrhizal plants, FM) were identified based on the Pyrenean Floristic Atlas and analyzed for climatic and edaphic drivers. The proportion of AM plants decreased slightly with elevation, while ECM species peaked at 1000m asl. The proportion of ERM and NM plant species rose with increasing elevation. The proportion of FM species increased, and OM species decreased with increasing elevation. The change of AM and ECM species, and OM and FM species, along the elevational gradient, corresponds broadly to changes along the latitudinal gradient, driven by a combination of climatic and edaphic factors. Differently, the elevational occurrence of NM plant species is mainly driven only by climatic factors (low temperature) and that of ERM species by only edaphic factors (low pH). Large-scale macroecological studies (≥50km grid cell) well reflect the effects of climate on the distribution of plant mycorrhizal traits, but local data (≤1km grid cell) are needed to understand the effects of soil conditions and land use.

Salicylic acid affects mycorrhizal features, antioxidant enzyme activities and seed yield of linseed under water-deficit stress in open-field conditions.

The research aims were to study salicylic acid (SA) effects on mycorrhiza [hyphal width (HW), vesicle diameter (VD) and mycorrhizal colonization (MC)] and interaction between them on greenness index (GI), drought tolerance index (DTI), antioxidant enzymes activities, and seed yield of linseed under drought. A factorial experiment was conducted in an open-field place with mycorrhiza [non-inoculation, Funneliformis mosseae (FM), and Rhizoglomus intraradices (RI)], SA (250μM and non-SA), and irrigation levels [100%, 70%, and 40% field capacity (FC)] as treatments. Severe drought increased VD, MC, superoxide dismutase (SOD), ascorbate peroxidase (APX), and peroxidase activities while decreased GI, DTI, and yield. The RI-linseed had higher MC, GI, SOD, and glutathione reductase (GR) activities, but FM-linseed had greater VD and yield under drought. Inoculated linseed with both mycorrhiza showed a reduction in DTI and yield under SA than non-SA. In RI-linseed, SA increased GI, MC, HW, VD, catalase and GR, but decreased in FM-plants. Mycorrhiza (particularly RI) alleviated drought (40% FC)-caused negative effects onlinseed via the improvement of SOD, APX, and GI. Regardless of other treatments, SA had negative effects on HW and VD, but SA effects varied depending on mycorrhizal species so that SA increased HW, VD, and MC in RI. Due to the positive correlation between MC and HW, SA reduces FM colonization by reducing the HW of FM. Totally, SA along with RI species can mitigate the harmful effects of drought and improve tolerance via increasing MC, HW, VD, catalase, peroxidase, and GR activities.

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi species differentially regulate plant growth, phosphorus uptake and stress tolerance of soybean in lead contaminated soil

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) symbiosis can enhance plant growth in unfavorable conditions. However, functional variations among different AMF species for their ability to enhance phosphorus (P) uptake and soybean tolerance in lead (Pb) contaminated soil have rarely been examined. The present study therefore aimed to compare the growth, P uptake and Pb tolerance of soybean plants colonized by different AMF and to test the relationship between P uptake efficiency and Pb uptake in Pb contaminated soil. Soybean inoculated with three different AMF, Funneliformis mosseae, Claroideoglomus etunicatum, and Rhizophagus intraradices and control was grown under three Pb addition levels (0, 100 and 300 mg kg−1) in a pot experiment. The results showed that AMF inoculation significantly promoted the plant growth, P uptake and Pb accumulation in the roots, with less translocation of Pb from roots to the shoots compared to non-inoculated plants. Soybean plants inoculated with R. intraradices were more tolerant to Pb toxicity compared with other two AMF species in terms of higher root colonization, biomass, P uptake and seed yield. Significant linear correlations were observed between biomass, P uptake and Pb uptake of the plant. The findings in this study are essential in using AMF to promote soybean growth and P uptake in heavy metal-contaminated soils. Moreover, symbiotic P uptake and retention of Pb in roots of plants could serve as important criteria for screening of efficient AMF species or isolates for plant growth, P nutrition and metal tolerance in heavy metal contaminated soils.

Vaccinium myrtillus L. в Кировской области (южно-таежная подзона): фитоценотическая приуроченность, экологические предпочтения

Vaccinium myrtillus L. is an important component for forming phyto-environment in boreal forest ecosystems, in which it develops various consortium connections. Being a mycorrhizal species, V. myrtillus improves nutrition and stimulates the growth of plants of all layers, supporting inter- and intra-specific connections of different layers of forest communities. In order to estimate the environment-forming role of V. myrtillus in ecosystems it is essential to acquire data on quantitative presence of the species in plant communities composition and on ecological-phytocoenotic peculiarities within its range. The aim of the study is to define phytocoenotic parameters and ecological conditions of V. myrtillus habitats within the southern taiga part of its range (Kirov region). We collected the material during the growing seasons of 2009-2015 and made 110 geobotanical descriptions according to common geobotanical methods (Methods of studies…, 2002). Ecological conditions were estimated based on species compositions in communities using 10 ecological scales by Dmitry Tsyganov (1983). The ecological discomfort index was determined for each habitat (Klimenko, 2012). Common methods of soil analyses were used for different biotopes of the studied species (Arinushkina, 1962). Hemeroby was determined by the species composition in plant communities, in which every species has individual human impact tolerance spectre (Frank and Klotz, 1990). V. myrtillus acts as a dominant or codominant of the herbaceous-shrub synfolium of boreal coniferous and mixed forest communities with 30-70% cover. It is accompanied by the following species: Vaccinium vitis-idaea L., Rubus saxatilis L., Juncus filiformis L., Calamagrostis epigeios (L.) Roth., Thelypteris palustris Schot, Melampyrum sylvaticum L., and Majanthemum bifolium (L.) F. Schmidt. The species is found on gley and gleyic podzolic soils, mostly sabulous, rarely-sandy; and on peatygley and sod-podzolic soils (See Table 1). Bilberry is common on high acidity soils with pH varying from 2.54 to 4.93. The concentration of organic carbon in bilberry forest litter varies from 5.71 to 69.2% (See Fig. 1). V. myrtillus is a mesobiont species whose average ecologic valency coefficient reaches 55%. In the investigated coenopopulations, the species achieves 8.15 to 50.10% of its potential capabilities regarding the studied factors. V. myrtillus is a hemieurybiont by climatic factors (0.58 points). It achieves its maximum on ombroclimatic scale (44.5%). According to climatic scales, ecological conditions of the studied habitats occupy the central position of all possible. The generalized spectrum of soil scales shows the species as a mesobiont (It–0.45). This allows widening V. myrtillus soil humidity scale 1.27 point left and soil moisture variability scale 0.80 points right. On other scales, the environmental position of the studied coenopopulations are within the data given by Dmitry Tsyganov for the species (See Table 2 and Fig. 2). The discomfort index is also given to estimate habitat ecological conditions. Based on phytoindication data and according to the discomfort index, we defined that the most favorable conditions of edapho- and climatopes for V. myrtillus are formed in sphagnum phytocoenoses. The least favorable conditions were noted in bilberry pine and bilberrypleurocarpous moss pine-spruce forest types. The study of hemeroby showed that oligo-mesohemerob species (highly sensitive to anthropogenic factors) prevail in all V. myrtillus coenopopulations, i.e. 41%. A-hemerob, a-euhemerob and polyhemerob species were not noted in any of the studied CPs (See Table 3 and Fig. 3). This proves that the species is of low resistance to anthropogenic influence and can survive moderate intensity human impact. The studied plant communities with V. myrtillus are low-hemerobic.

Farklı Mikoriza Türleri, Kompost ve Fosfat Kayacı Uygulamalarının Sorgum Bitkisinin Gelişimine Etkileri

Bu çalışma, farklı mikoriza türleri aşılaması ile birlikte farklı dozlarda kompost ve fosfat kayacı uygulamalarının sorgum bitkisinin gelişimi ve besin elementleri alımına olan etkilerini belirlemek amacıyla yapılmıştır. Denemede kompost dozları 0, 20, 40 g kompost/kg toprak, fosfat kayacı dozları 0, 2, 4 g fosfat kayacı/kg toprak olarak uygulanmış, mikoriza türleri olarak; Funnelformis mosseae, F. caledonius, Claroideoglomus etunicatum, Rhizophagus clarus, doğal ve kokteyl (karışım) kullanılmıştır. Hasat sonunda kök ve kök üstü aksam kuru madde üretimleri, fosfor (P) ve çinko (Zn) konsantrasyonları ve mikorizal kök infeksiyonu analizleri yapılmıştır. Araştırma bulgularına göre, mikoriza aşılaması sorgum bitkisinin kök ve kök üstü aksam kuru madde üretimine, P, Zn ve kök infeksiyonuna fosfat kayacı ve kompost uygulamalarına göre daha fazla oranda etki etmiştir. En etkili mikoriza türü olarak F. caledonius ön plana çıkmaktadır. Kompost uygulamalarında 20 ve 40 g/kg toprak doz uygulamaları etkin bulunur iken, fosfat kayacında ise yetiştirme süresinin kısalığı nedeniyle fosfat kayacının yeterince çözünemediği kanısına varılmıştır.

FEATURES OF THE MYCOBIOTA IN ARTIFICIAL STANDS OF PINUS SYLVESTRIS L. IN THE SPOIL DUMPS OF THE KEDROVSKY COAL MINE (KEMEROVO REGION)

The fungal biota was studied in 2019 in a test plot in pine stands planted on the spoil dump of the Kedrovsky coal mine, and in a control plot in pine stands on zonal meadow chernozem soils in the Kuzbass Botanical Garden. In these plots, the number of fruit bodies was counted every seven days of the summer-autumn period, the fungi were photographed and identified. Surveys revealed 43 species of macrofungi in the Kedrovsky coal mine remediation sites, and 33 species of higher fungi on the zonal soils of the Kuzbass Botanical Garden. Abundant fruiting of macrofungi was observed in the stands planted of the spoil rock dump of the Kedrovsky coal mine. The number of fruit bodies formed in the mushroom community of pine forests in the control plot was 15 % lower on average. The trophic structure of the fungal biota in the plant community on the spoil dump was characterized by a high diversity of mycorrhizal species (18 species), while the group of litter saprotrophs was less diverse (13 species). The amount of soil-, litter-, and humus- dwelling saprotrophs was minor. The prevalent group in pine forests of the Kuzbass Botanical Garden, on zonal soils, was litter-dwelling saprotrophs (17 species), whereas mycorrhizal fungi were less numerous there (10 species), and the rest of trophic groups were represented by single specimens. The fungal biota of the remediated Kedrovsky coal mine areas featured high species richness and abundant fruiting, and the fungal species inhabiting the areas are typical of the Kemerovo Region. The prevalent component of the trophic structure of the fungal biota in the pine stands on remediated land was symbiotrophic fungi, forming ectomycorrhiza with woody plants, thus supplying the latter with nutrition in the oligotrophic conditions of technogenic residual rock. The presence of fungi of different trophic groups indicates that the dump habitats are involved in many ways in the biological cycle under the pine stand cover.

First Recorded Account of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi in Sand Dunes in South Eastern Australia: Biogeography and Species Richness

Hanlon, L.M., 2021. First recorded account of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in sand dunes in south eastern Australia: Biogeography and species richness. Journal of Coastal Research, 37(2), 280–290. Coconut Creek (Florida), ISSN 0749-0208.Coastal arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi on incipient foredunes survive in extreme and environmentally stressful ecosystems that are regularly eroded and replaced. These dunes encounter strong, salt-laden winds, sea-water overwash, and low nutrients and are subject to storms of greater magnitude than established foredunes, often being scarped. The species richness of coastal arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi was examined in sand dunes, as well as in the roots of mixed vegetation and grasses growing in the dunes, to elucidate differences in species between the incipient foredune and established foredune gradients and to address the paucity of information on the biogeography of coastal arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi. Seventy-three operational taxonomic units were identified through DNA analyses and classified into 16 arbuscular mycorrhizal species, of which Glomus spp. was dominant in both dune niches. Three species were specific to the established foredune ecosystem, and four discrete species were found in the incipient foredune ecosystem, demonstrating a robustness to disturbance. Additionally, one discrete species of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus was found in the two incipient foredune grasses. All nucleotide sequences have been accepted and assigned accession numbers by GenBank. The identification of microbial biota in coastal sites is of vital importance in allowing more informed decisions to be made on the restoration and conservation of coastal sand dunes or ecosystem remediation. It is postulated that these results are the first to report the biogeography and species richness of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi on the southern coast of Australia.

Alleviation of cadmium and lead stress by A‐mycorrhizal fungi and rock phosphate on maize (Zea mays L.) growth under calcareous soil conditions

AbstractThis research was carried out to investigate the impact of A‐mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and rock phosphate (RP) (alone and combined) under polluted soil with lead (Pb) and cadmium (Cd) on maize plant growth and soil nutrients availability under calcareous soil conditions. A greenhouse pot experiment was designed as a two‐factor experiment, remediation sources (RS) as the sub‐main factor with four treatments [control, M (mixed of the two mycorrhizae species, Rhizoglomus irregulare and Rhizoglomus macrocarpium), RP, and M + RP], and soil pollution sources (PS) as the main factor with nine treatments [control, Pb1 (100 mg Pb /kg soil), Pb2 (500 mg Pb/kg soil), Cd1 (6 mg Cd/kg soil), Cd2 (24 mg Cd/kg soil), Pb1 + Cd1, Pb1 + Cd2, Pb2 + Cd1, Pb2 + Cd2]. The results showed that, under the same conditions of this study, we can recommend the use of coapplication of AMF and RP (M + RP) particularly in contaminated soil with Pb and/or Cd, which supports plants to (i) confront the pollution stress, (ii) improve plants growth and their nutrients content, and (iii) increase the soil available nutrients. Also, maize plants could be labeled as the accumulator of Pb based on (translocation factor > 1) as control and under calcareous soil conditions.

Role of mycorrhizae inoculations on nutrient uptake in rice grown under aerobic and anaerobic water management

Arbuscular mycorrhizae fungi (AMF) inoculums may decline in the rice field due to mostly cultivation of rice under anaerobic or flooded conditions. The mechanisms regulating such events are mainly unknown. This study was undertaken to evaluate the effects of AMF on the growth response of rice plant, leaf-level photosynthetic behavior, nutrient contents within rice plant tissue and changes in bulk soil physiochemical properties under both aerobic and anaerobic water managements. A pot experiment was conducted under growth chamber conditions. The experimental treatments were control, Funneliformis mosseae and Rhizophagus irregularis × rice variety BRRI Dhan 28 × Turkish Menzilat soil that grown under both aerobic and anaerobic water regimes. The result showed that the width of leaf blade at 12 days after sowing (DAS) was similar between aerobic and anaerobic water management due to mycorrhizae inoculation. Likewise, shoot dry weight at 13 and 35 DAS was similar in both water regimes. However, shoot dry weight at harvest was higher in anaerobic condition than aerobic condition due to F. mosseae mycorrhizae species inoculation. Root biomass gaps were reduced between two managements for mycorrhizae species inoculation. The assimilation rate was tended to be higher in anaerobic than aerobic conditions. In contrast, intercellular carbon dioxide (CO2), stomatal conductance, and transpiration rate were higher in aerobic than anaerobic management. The result also showed that mycorrhizae inoculation increase nutrient concentration within rice plant tissue. Bulk soil physiochemical analysis demonstrated that the bioavailability of nutrients increased in soil solution due to mycorrhizae species inoculation. This study concluded that mycorrhizae can be utilized for rice cultivation under both aerobic and anaerobic water managements.