Effects of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi and Fertilization Levels on Industrial Tomato Growth and Production

Abstract

The effect of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) on industrial tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill. cv. Isma F1) cultivated in North-Eastern Algeria was evaluated under greenhouse and field conditions in a vertisol soil intended for the cultivation of industrial tomato. In the greenhouse, a commercial AMF inoculum and native fungal isolates consisting of Funneliformis mosseae and Septoglomus constrictum, were added in sterilized or non-sterilized soil and tested for their effects on the growth of tomato. Inoculation with exotic AMF in the commercial inoculum or with native isolates had similar effects in increasing mycorrhizal root colonization rates and tomato growth. In the field, the commercial AMF inoculant was combined with three rates of chemical fertilizer used for the cultivation of industrial tomato (mono-ammonium phosphate, ammonium sulphate and NPK, applied at 0, 50 and 100% of the recommended dose). Introduced AMF significantly improved mycorrhizal root colonization levels, growth and yield as compared to the indigenous AMF alone. In addition, in the presence of the mycorrhizal inoculant, an application of 50% of recommended fertilizer dose provided the same yield as the full fertilizer dose without inoculation. Results clearly show that in this soil, plants needed both fertilization and AMF inoculation to achieve optimal growth and yield, and that the application of AMF can compensate for the reduction in chemical fertilizers, offering a more sustainable farming system that is respectful of the environment.

Crescimento e colonização micorrízica do tomateiro IPA06 inoculado com fungos micorrízicos arbusculares em substrato orgânico

“…Dentre os fatores que podem influenciar na colonização micorrízica do tomateiro pode-se citar: a interação da espécie de FMA com a planta hospedeira (Ortas et al, 2013;Banla et al, 2015); o período de cultivo (Rizvi et al, 2015) e a utilização de adubos minerais e/ou orgânicos (Ziane et al, 2017).…”

“…Rivero et al (2018) também ressaltaram que a colonização micorrízica do tomateiro favoreceu o incremento da biomassa da raiz. Assim como, Ziane et al (2017) mencionaram o aumento de 22% na altura da planta, 23% na massa fresca da parte aérea, 16% na massa fresca da raiz, 15% de massa seca da raiz do tomateiro industrial cultivado com FMA. Todavia, a colonização micorrízica não garante o incremento na biomassa da planta, tal como observado em tomateiro com FMA por Banla et al (2015).…”

“…No tomateiro, estes simbiontes podem: favorecer o desenvolvimento vegetativo e reprodutivo mesmo em condições de baixa fertilidade do solo (Ortas et al, 2013;Banla et al, 2015); promover a resistência ou a tolerância a patógenos e/ou pragas (Ortega et al, 2015;Shrivastava et al, 2015;Volpe et al, 2018); melhorar a qualidade e o valor nutricional dos frutos produzidos (Hart et al, 2014;Charles & Alonso, 2015). Por sua vez, Ziane et al (2017) e Cruz-Koizumi et al (2018) mencionaram que o inoculante de FMA pode ser utilizado como um biofertilizante em substituição ao adubo mineral.…”

Utility of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi for Improved Production and Disease Mitigation in Organic and Hydroponic Greenhouse Crops

“…In a greenhouse experiment, AM fungal inoculation with BIOCULT mycorrhiza granules (consisting of both G. etunicatum and G. intraradices) made on 'Rodade' tomatoes, exhibited superior transplant performance due to their higher shoot fresh weight, high shoot/root ratio, higher root biomass and higher root growth rate [71]. In a recent report Ziane et al envisaged the importance of AM fungi in facilitating optimal fertilizer utilization in order to achieve satisfactory growth and yield of a tomato crop [72]. Additionally, they suggested that the application of AM fungi could compensate for the reduction in chemical fertilizers, thus offering a more sustainable farming system that was respectful of the environment.…”

EXOTIC ARBUSCULAR MYCORRHIZAL FUNGI AND NATIVE DARK SEPTATE ENDOPHYTES ON THE INITIAL GROWTH OF Paspalum millegrana GRASS

“…In return, the host plants provide the symbiotic fungus with photoassimilates for nutrition. By these interactions, the AMF promotes plant growth (SANTOS et al, 2018a); induces the defense system against pathogens and/or pests (VOLPE et al, 2018;HEIDJEN et al, 2015); increases the absorption of water and nutrients and reduce the consumption of mineral fertilizers (ZIANE et al, 2017); reducing nitrogen and phosphorus losses in the soil (TEUTSCHEROVA et al, 2019;OKONJI et al, 2018), and promoting tolerance to drought and salinity (RIVERO et al, 2018). However, the beneficial effects of AMF symbiosis on the host plant are not restricted to plant growth.…”