Mycorrhizal inoculation as an alternative for the ecological production of tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.)

Abstract

The aim of study was to investigate the effect of two mycorrhizal fungus species Claroideoglomus etunicatum and Rhizophagus intraradices on the uptake of macronutrients and on the growth and yield of tomato hybrid plants cultivated in an ecological system. The experiment was carried out at an ecological farm in Grądy in the Lublin province of Poland, for three years (2015-2017). The experimental treatments included plants inoculated with Claroideoglomus etunicatum, Rhizophagus intraradices and plants without mycorrhizal inoculation used as a control. The mycorrhization of tomato roots with Claroideoglomus etunicatum and Rhizophagus intraradices resulted in an improved uptake of Ca and K through the plants. The length of the tomato roots, especially for the cultivars treated with Claroideoglomus etunicatum, were statistically longer than those of the control. Tomato roots inoculation with both of the studied mycorrhizal fungus strains significantly influenced the number of tomato leaves and improved the health status of the plant. The yield of tomato was not significantly affected by mycorrhization but Claroideoglomus etunicatum, to a greater extent than Rhizophagus intraradices reduced the yield of diseased fruit compared to the control. Among the studied mycorrhizal fungus species, better results were obtained with the application of Claroideoglomus etunicatum as compared with Rhizophagus intraradices for all examined features. Mycorrhizal inoculation contributed to the better growth of the plants, it improved their health and may be beneficially applied in the ecological production of tomatoes.

Contribution of mycorrhizae to sustainable and ecological agriculture: a review

“…This hypothesis was confirmed by Jamiołkowska et al (2008), who showed that the inoculation of seedlings with mycorrhizal fungi significantly influenced the length of tomato stems and roots. It was found that MF application to tomato roots significantly improves the physiological and morphological parameters of the cultivated plants (Jamiołkowska et al, 2020a). Thicker leaves allow for improved photosynthesis at a high radiation intensity, which explains the high variation of this feature in response to light.…”

“…Nutrient uptake pepper, tomato, cereals -Karaki et al, 2001;Azcón et al, 2001;Hodge et al, 2001;Liu et al, 2002;Giri and Mukerji, 2004;Govindarajulu et al, 2005;Reynolds et al, 2005;Lambers et al, 2008;Oseni et al, 2010;Wu et al, 2010;Cavagnaro and Martin, 2011;Guru et al, 2011;Alvarez et al, 2012;Tanwar et al, 2013;Motha et al, 2014;Saia et al, 2014;Wahb-Allah et al, 2014;Hart et al, 2015;Michałojć et al, 2015;Chitarra et al, 2016;Jamiołkowska et al, 2020a Photosynthesis maize, tomato, poplar Augé, 2001;Nelson and Achar, 2001;Sannazzaro et al, 2006;Colla et al, 2008;Zuccarini and Okurowska, 2008;Sheng et al, 2008;Zhu et al, 2012;Liu et al, 2015 Claroideoglomus etunicatum and Rhizophagus intraradices Growth tomato, olive Augé, 2001;Dasgan et al, 2008;Oseni et al, 2010;Guru et al, 2011;Castillo et al, 2013;Conversa et al, 2013;Tanwar et al, 2013;Khabou et al, 2014;Motha et al, 2014;Wahb-Allah et al, 2014 Yield tomato Demir, 2004;Subramanian et al, 2006;...…”

“…The increased uptake of other macro-and micronutrients (potassium, nitrogen, calcium, copper, sulphur, zinc, iron, magnesium) after MF application was also observed (Table 1). The inoculation of plants with MF was demonstrated to have a positive effect on the quality of plant fruit (Nzanza et al, 2012;Jamiołkowska et al, 2020a). Michałojć et al (2015) found that the fruit of plants inoculated with mycorrhizal fungi had a high level of calcium as compared to the control plants.…”

“…Changes within a population also depend on the interaction of fungi in a given community. The study allowed for the determination of the influence of R. intraradices and C. etunicatum on the development of Colletotrichum coccodes on tomato (Jamiołkowska et al, 2020a) and included the application of AMF which reduced the occurrence of C. coccodes on potato plants (Cwalina-Ambroziak et al, 2015). Therefore, AMF may be recommended to protect tomatoes against root anthracnose.…”

“…Verticillium dahliae cotton Zhang et al, 2018Fusarium spp. tomato, bean, chrysanthemum, cucumber, chickpea Bhagawati et al, 2000Siddiqui and Singh, 2004;Akköprü and Demir, 2005;Hao et al, 2005;Al-Askar and Rashad, 2010;Matsubara et al, 2010;Manila and Nelson, 2014;Al-Hmoud and Al-Momany, 2015;Jamiołkowska et al, 2020aPhytophthora spp. tobacco Trotta et al, 1996Pozo et al, 2002 Claroideoglomus etunicatum, Rhizophagus intraradices, Funneliformis mosseae, Rhizophagus irregularis, Glomus spp.…”