Effect of Syrian Indigenous Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi in Combination with Manure on the Growth of Cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.)

A pot experiment was conducted to evaluate the effect of indigenous arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and the synergy of indigenous AMF and sheep manure (SM) on cotton growth and nitrogen and phosphorus uptake. AMF were a mixture of Glomus viscosum, Glomus mosseae, and Glomus intraradices initially isolated from a Syrian cotton field. Dry biomass was enhanced significantly by AMF and was higher at AMF plus SM treatment compared to control. Cotton plants showed a significant dependency to indigenous AMF, which was 52% in the AMF treatment. Plant concentrations of nitrogen (N)and phosphorus (P) were significantly higher in mycorrhizal than nonmycorrhizal plants. Maximum plant N and P uptake was found in the treatment of AMF inoculation with SM, which was significantly higher by 202% and 397% over control, respectively. Indigenous AMF was successful in colonizing cotton roots and when combined with SM resulted in better plant growth and N and P uptake.     

Specificity and selectivity of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal polymerase chain reaction primers in soil samples by clone library analyses

An open question with regard to the community ecology of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) concerns how to best amplify AMF in the soil, which contains a large proportion of DNA from AM extra-radical mycelium and spores. However, to date, a direct comparison of AMF primers for soil samples, which would systematically assess their amplification efficiency, is still missing. In our present study, we compared and characterized four widely used primer sets targeting AMF 18S rDNA or SSU-ITS-LSU rDNA from three soil samples as follows: (1) SSUmAf/LSUmAr?+?SSUmCf/LSUmBr, (2) GeoA2/Geo11?+?NS31/AM1, (3) AML1/AML2?+?NS31/AM1 and (4) AMV4.5NF/AMDGR. These primer sets were compared in terms of the proportion of Glomeromycota detected, AMF diversity and community composition. Our data revealed that the newly combined primer set 3 was the most suitable one for amplifying AMF from soil samples. It yielded the highest AMF alpha diversity, and was very specific to Glomeromycota. Primer set 2 was unable to amplify Claroideoglomus from soil 1, which was the dominant AMF clade as proved by other three primer sets. Primer set 4 demonstrated its instability among different soil samples, since the proportion of AMF in total sequences varied from 5% to 83%. Although primer set 1 showed the highest proportion of AMF (95–100%) in the soil samples, it captured the lowest AMF diversity, and the operational taxonomic units obtained by this primer set were only 36.4% of that by primer set 4. Taken together, our data suggested that AMF diversity in soil samples could be underestimated by primer set 1, 2 and 4. Our result confirmed the important role of the choice of AMF primers for analyzing AMF communities in soil and explored the most suitable one for amplifying AMF from soil samples.     

Altered amino acid profile of arbuscular mycorrhizal maize plants under low temperature stress

We investigated the effect of arbuscular mycorrhiza (AM) on amino acid concentration and composition of maize plants under low‐temperature stress. The AM plants had higher amino acid concentrations than the non‐AM pants. The concentrations of Thr, Lys, Gly, Ala, His, and Ile of the AM plants were higher than non‐AM plants. The results show that low‐temperature stress decreased the concentrations of amino acids and altered their composition.     

Comparison of postharvest practices used for cereal straw decomposition in a clay loam soil

ABSTRACT

During 2008–2011, model field experiments were carried out at the Joni?k?lis Experimental Station of Lithuanian Research Centre for Agriculture and Forestry on a clay loam Endocalcaric Endogleyic Cambisol. The study was aimed to establish the comparison of various postharvest practices (mineral nitrogen fertiliser alone or together with a bioactivator Penergetic k, livestock slurry, red clover biomass and straw incorporation in the soil by a stubble cultivator at a 10 cm depth) on the acceleration of the initial (nine-month period) decomposition of winter wheat straw. During this period, straw mass decomposition intensity was 20.7–29.1%, carbon (C) concentration decreased by 6.5–22.8%, while an increase in nitrogen (N) by 1.1–2.2 times was observed. The highest straw decomposition rate was recorded when after straw incorporation autumn was warm and humid. That year straw mass C to N ratio (C/N) was 38–46. Under less-favourable autumn conditions, the highest decomposition of straw was achieved, having applied mineral N (with and without Penergetic) and livestock slurry and having incorporated the straw in the soil (C/N = 40–55). A slower decomposition rate was observed for the straw spread on the soil surface with mineral N addition or on undersown red clover.     

Variable effectivity of three vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhizal endophytes in Hedysarum coronarium and Medicago sativa

Summary Plants of Hedysarum coronarium L. and Medicago sativa L., inoculated with Glomus caledonium, were grown for 6 weeks in soils with increasing amounts of available phosphorus (P). H. coronarium showed no or very low levels of infection even at very low soil P content (4 ppm), while in M. sativa the highest soil P level (20 ppm) was associated with the lowest percentage of infection. Medicago sativa and H. coronarium grown for 16 weeks in a sandy soil showed clear effects of Glomus inoculation on shoot growth and P uptake. In M. sativa inoculation increased shoot growth and P uptake in all treatments considerably, while the P concentration in the shoot was depressed by G. caledonium. In H. coronarium inoculation with G. mosseae and G. occultum had only a modest impact on shoot growth; G. caledonium even depressed shoot growth significantly. Glomus inoculation had a positive impact on the P concentrations in the shoots of H. coronarium. The growth-depressing effect of G. caledonium on H. coronarium is discussed.     

Shrubs influence arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi communities in a semi-arid environment

Interactions between arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and plants are essential components of ecosystem functioning; however, they remain poorly known in dry ecosystems. We examined the relationship between seven shrub species and their associated AMF community in a semi-arid plant community in southern Spain. Soil characteristics and plant physiological status were measured and related to AMF community composition and genetic diversity by multivariate statistics. We found differences in AMF communities in soils under shrubs and in gaps among them, whereas no differences were detected among AMF communities colonizing roots. Soil nutrients content drove most of the spatial variations in the AMF community and genetic diversity. AMF communities were more heterogeneous in fertile islands with low nitrogen-to-phosphorus ratio and vice versa. AMF genetic diversity increased in soils limited by phosphorus and with high soil organic matter content, while AMF genetic diversity increased in roots growing in soil not limited by phosphorus. Overall, we could not find a clear link between plant performance and the associated AMF community. Our findings show that different shrub species generate islands of fertility which differ in nutrient content and, therefore, support different AMF communities, increasing AMF diversity at the landscape level.     

Relationship between soil enzyme activities, nutrient cycling and soil fungal communities in a northern hardwood forest

Soil fungi are highly diverse and act as the primary agents of nutrient cycling in forests. These fungal communities are often dominated by mycorrhizal fungi that form mutually beneficial relationships with plant roots and some mycorrhizal fungi produce extracellular and cell-bound enzymes that catalyze the hydrolysis of nitrogen (N)- and phosphorus (P)- containing compounds in soil organic matter. Here we investigated whether the community structure of different types of mycorrhizal fungi (arbuscular and ectomycorrhizal fungi) is correlated with soil chemistry and enzyme activity in a northern hardwood forest and whether these correlations change over the growing season. We quantified these relationships in an experimental paired plot study where white-tailed deer (access or excluded 4.5 yrs) treatment was crossed with garlic mustard (presence or removal 1 yr). We collected soil samples early and late in the growing season and analyzed them for soil chemistry, extracellular enzyme activity and molecular analysis of both arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) and ectomycorrhizal/saprotrophic fungal communities using terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (TRFLP). AM fungal communities did not change seasonally but were positively correlated with the activities of urease and leucine aminopeptidase (LAP), enzymes involved in N cycling. The density of garlic mustard was correlated with the presence of specific AM fungal species, while deer exclusion or access had no effect on either fungal community after 4.5 yrs. Ectomycorrhizal/saprotrophic fungal communities changed seasonally and were positively correlated with most soil enzymes, including enzymes involved in carbon (C), N and P cycling, but only during late summer sampling. Our results suggest that fine scale temporal and spatial changes in soil fungal communities may affect soil nutrient and carbon cycling. Although AM fungi are not generally considered capable of producing extracellular enzymes, the correlation between some AM taxa and the activity of N acquisition enzymes suggests that these fungi may play a role in forest understory N cycling.     

多环芳烃污染土壤的植物-微生物联合修复初探

在温室盆栽条件下,通过种植紫花苜蓿单独或联合接种菌根真菌(Glomus caledonium L.)(AM)和多环芳烃专性降解菌(DB),研究了利用植物-微生物强化修复多环芳烃(PAHs)长期污染土壤的效果。试验结果表明,接种菌根真菌和PAHs专性降解菌能促进紫花苜蓿的生长和土壤中PAHs的降解。经过90天修复试验,种植紫花苜蓿接种AM、DB和DB+AM处理的PAHs的降解率分别为47.9%、49.6%、60.1%,均高于只种植紫花苜蓿的对照处理(CK)(21.7%)。另外,随着PAHs苯环数的增加,其平均降解率逐渐降低,但是接种PAHs专性降解菌能够提高4环和5环PAHs的降解率。同时也发现土壤中脱氢酶活性和PAHs降解菌数量越高的处理,土壤PAHs的降解率也越高,这也是种植紫花苜蓿接种微生物能够有效促进土壤PAHs降解的原因。     

三种不同利用方式土壤上黄瓜根际微生物群落差异

蔬菜塑料大棚是一种高度集约化利用的设施农业类型,在太湖地区一般由原来的稻麦(或油菜)轮作或露地蔬菜改变而来。稻麦(或油菜)轮作或露地蔬菜改为蔬菜塑料大棚后,土壤养分高度累积,出现了次生盐渍化和酸化的现象[1-2]。可能受土壤酸化和次生盐渍化的影响,蔬菜塑料大棚土壤     

Heterotrophic nitrification by sodium chloride-tolerant fungi in soils added with sodium chloride

Abstract

Recently, fungi with the ability of heterotrophic nitrification have been isolated from acid forest soils (Lang and Jagnow 1986; Stroo et al. 1986). It is suggested that under unsuitable conditions for autotrophic nitrification, heterotrophic processes for NO₂ ^- and NO_{3 -} production could be advantageous.