Field inoculation of arbuscular mycorrhiza on maize (Zea mays L.) under low inputs: preliminary study on quantitative and qualitative aspects

Abstract

Arbuscular mycorrhizal symbiosis contributes to the sustainability of soil-plant system. A field experiment was conducted to examine the effect of arbuscular mycorrhiza (AM) on quantitative and qualitative performance in forage maize (Zea mays L.). Within the project Sviluppo di modelli zootecnici ai fini della sostenibilità (SOS-ZOOT) a trial was conducted at the experimental farm of the Agricultural Research Council in Bella (PZ), located in Basilicata region (Southern Italy) at 360 m asl, characterised by an annual rainfall of approximately 650 mm. For spring sowing, two plots of 2500 m 2 were used, one sown with seeds inoculated with AM (M), 1.0 kg/ha, and the other one with non-inoculated seeds (NM). After 120 days after sowing, when plants showed 30% dry matter, five replicates of 1 m 2 per plot were used to estimate dry matter yield (DMY), while half plot was dedicated to the assessment of grain production. For each replicate, three representative plants were considered; each plant was measured for height and was divided into leaves, stem and ear. For each plot, the following constituents were determined: crude protein, ash, ether extract, crude fibre (CF), fractions of fibre [neutral detergent (NDF), acid detergent fibre (ADF) and sulphuric acid lignin] and phosphorus (P). Throughout the period of plants' growth, no herbicides, organic or inorganic fertilisation, and irrigation water were distributed. The preliminary results revealed a significant effect of AM inoculation on forage maize DMY, P content in the whole plant, into the leaves and on the quality of steam. The M thesis showed a significant increase in terms of DMY in comparison with the NM thesis: 21.2 vs 17.9 t/ha (P<0.05). The mycorrhized whole plants [0.22 vs 0.17% dry matter (DM), P<0.05] and leaves (0.14 vs 0.09% DM, P<0.05) showed an increased P content. The stems of M plants showed a content of CF, NDF, ADF and Ash significantly lower compared with NM plants. No significant differences were observed for the other parameters. The preliminary study revealed a significant effect of AM seed inoculation on DMY and quality of forage maize cultivated within a low input system.

Are mycorrhizal fungi our sustainable saviours? Considerations for achieving food security

“…,Sangabriel-Conde et al (2014),Sabia et al (2015),Puschel et al (2016),Zhu et al (2016) Reduced/no nutrient uptake effectJohnson et al (2015),Puschel et al (2016) Biomass/yield Enhanced yield Cavagnaro (2014), Sabia et al (2015), Rozpadek et al (2016), Gosling, Jones & Bending (2016), Hijri (2016)* Reduced/no yield effect Dai et al (2014), Gosling, Jones & Bending (2016), Hijri (2016)* Defence Enhanced defence Maffei et al (2014), Anda, de Boulois & Declerck (2015), Mora-Romero et al (2015), Nair et al (2015), Ren et al (2015), Shrivastava et al (2015), Song et al (2015), Guadalupe Cervantes-Gamez et al (2016), Sowik, Borkowska & Markiewicz (2016) Reduced/no defence effect Babikova et al (2014b), Murrell, Hanson & Cullen (2015), Ronsheim (2016) Drought tolerance Enhanced drought tolerance Lazcano, Barrios-Masias & Jackson (2014), Bowles et al (2016) Metal/salinity tolerance Enhanced metal/salinity tolerance Talaat & Shawky (2014), Kumar et al (2015)*, Mardukhi et al (2015), Rezvani et al (2015), Spagnoletti et al (2015, 2016) Reduced/no metal/salinity effect Kumar et al (2015)*, Zhang et al (2016) Agroecosystem level Soil C sequestration Enhanced soil C sequestration Wu et al (2014), Bowles et al (2016), Verbruggen et al (2016) Soil structure/erosion Enhanced soil structure Wu et al (2014), Wu, Wang & Srivastava (2016), Mardhiah et al (2016) Water retention Enhanced water retention Bowles et al (2016), Cavagnaro (2016) Nutrient leaching Reduced nutrient leaching Bender, Conen & van der Heijden (2015), Cavagnaro et al (2015)*, Kohl & van der Heijden (2016) Biodiversity/competition Reduced weed competition/increased biodiversity Lin, McCormack & Guo (2015)*, Fialho et al (2016), Qiao et al…”

Responses of Different Panicum miliaceum L. Genotypes to Saline and Water Stress in a Marginal Mediterranean Environment

“…AMF symbiosis can exert positive effects on crop production [13][14][15][16] and improve plant tolerance to abiotic stresses [17][18][19][20][21] such as drought and salinity. Possible AMF-mediated adaptation mechanisms inducing plant tolerance to saline conditions [22] include: (1) nutrient uptake improvement, especially phosphorus (P) [23][24][25]; (2) accumulation of soluble sugars into the roots [26]; (3) K + /Na + ratio adjustment [27,28]; and (4) antioxidant enzymatic activities [29].…”

Effect of Feed Concentrate Intake on the Environmental Impact of Dairy Cows in an Alpine Mountain Region Including Soil Carbon Sequestration and Effect on Biodiversity

“…They consequently result in a high CH 4 production in both species. Studies indicate that the use of saponins in ruminant feed rations may reduce the production of biogenic methane [58][59][60], while [61][62][63] indicate that the inclusion of more digestible forages in ruminant diets may reduce emissions from the ruminant's fermentation. This is in line with the equation (10.18b) suggested by [1]; the digestibility of feed ingested by ruminants plays a key role in the emission factor.…”