On the Negative Impact of Mycorrhiza Application on Maize Plants (Zea mays) Amended with Mineral and Organic Fertilizer

Abstract

Many studies describe the positive effect of mycorrhiza, but few report on negative effects. Furthermore, there is a research gap on the mechanisms under which conditions the symbiotic mycorrhizal plant interaction or a parasitic one predominates. The study was conducted as a field experiment over three years to investigate the effect of mycorrhiza (Rhizoglomus intraradices) and soil bacteria applications on fertile soil. A standard fertilizer (diammonium phosphate) and two microgranular fertilizers (mineral and organomineral) were applied alone or in combination with the biostimulants mycorrhiza and/or soil bacteria (Bacillus velezensis). The application of the mycorrhiza as the only biostimulant resulted in lower yields compared to all fertilizer variants without the mycorrhiza or with mycorrhiza in combination with soil bacteria in the dry years 2015 (p = 0.0241) and 2016 (p = 0.0003). The usage of soil bacteria alone, or soil bacteria with fertilizer, resulted in few occasional significant differences. The combination with soil bacteria raised the yield of mycorrhiza-treated fertilizer variants to a significant extent in 2015 (p = 0.0007) and 2016 (p = 0.0019). The negative effects of mycorrhiza application in this study were alleviated by the simultaneous use of soil bacteria. Treatments with organomineral microgranular fertilizer, which were expected to promote the naturally occurring soil microbiome more than the mineral fertilizer variants, were most negatively affected by the mycorrhiza. We hypothesize that the naturally occurring microbiome of the study site was already optimal for maize plants, and thus the successful introduction of other microorganisms through the application of the mycorrhiza and soil bacteria tended not to be beneficial. The present study is the first report on the negative influence of arbuscular mycorrhiza on maize yields gained with a standard fertilizer (diammonium phosphate) and two microgranular fertilizer, and the alleviation of that impact by combined application of soil bacteria. We conclude that the application of the used biostimulants may have negative impacts on maize yield if the soil is already rich in nutrients and water is the limiting factor.

IMPACT OF BIO-ORGANIC FERTILIZATION AND NITROGEN LEVELS ON MAIZE (Zea mays L.) RESILIENCE

“…According to one study, using a microbial consortium made up of Xanthobacter autotrophicus, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Schizosaccharomyces pombe, and Pichia norvegensis with 70% NH4NO3 fertilizer improved the phenology, biomass, and germination of Zea mays (Velazquez-Medina et al, 2023). Research conducted on the impact of mycorrhiza (Rhizoglomus intraradices) and soil bacteria applications on maize production revealed that the concurrent usage of soil bacteria mitigated the adverse effects of mycorrhiza treatment (Thielicke et al, 2023). Furthermore, adding organic chicken manure fertilizer and inoculating maize plants with Funneliformis mosseae (FM) enhanced the nitrogen content and photosynthetic efficiency, indicating the possibility of utilizing FM and organic fertilizers to boost maize development (Yooyongwech et al, 2022).…”

Alternative Starter Fertilization Strategies in Maize (Zea mays L.) Cultivation: Agronomic Potential of Microgranular Fertilizer and Plant Growth-Promoting Microorganisms and Their Impact on the Soil Native Microbial Community

“…They have been shown to increase the yield and root density of young maize plants in pot experiments [13,14]. Two field studies have found maize yields after MG starter fertilization to be about equal to yields with standard diammonium phosphate (DAP) starter fertilization [15,16]. The widespread usage of MG as a starter fertilizer in maize could simultaneously lower nutrient inputs and be a step towards closing nutrient cycles.…”

“…There are few studies investigating the agronomic potential of MG as a starter fertilizer in the field. Also, there are very few studies using in-furrow inoculation with AMF and PGPR [15,16,49,50] as a replacement for starter fertilization. Little is known about the impact of AMF and PGPR inoculation on the native soil microbial community [41], although it plays a pivotal role in nutrient cycles and is an important factor in soil quality.…”

Cultivation of Crops in Strip-Till Technology and Microgranulated Fertilisers Containing a Gelling Agent as a Farming Response to Climate Change

“…Conservation agriculture practices, including ploughless soil cultivation methods and localised starter fertilisation, must be well-suited to the local conditions to provide the beneficial production and environmental effects hoped of them. This is because their incorrect use can negatively affect the soil properties and plant yields [46][47][48]. The ambiguity of results published in past scientific works, the changing habitat conditions of field plant production, and the technical and technological advances in soil cultivation and plant fertilisation all justify further scientific research in this area.…”