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Abrar M, Zhu Y, Maqsood Ur Rehman M, Batool A, Duan HX, Ashraf U, Aqeel M, Gong XF, Peng YN, Khan W, Wang ZY, Xiong YC. Functionality of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi varies across different growth stages of maize under drought conditions. PLANT PHYSIOLOGY AND BIOCHEMISTRY : PPB 2024; 213:108839. [PMID: 38879986 DOI: 10.1016/j.plaphy.2024.108839] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2024] [Revised: 06/05/2024] [Accepted: 06/12/2024] [Indexed: 06/18/2024]
Abstract
Physio-biochemical regulations governing crop growth period are pivotal for drought adaptation. Yet, the extent to which functionality of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AM fungi) varies across different stages of maize growth under drought conditions remains uncertain. Therefore, periodic functionality of two different AM fungi i.e., Rhizophagus irregularis SUN16 and Glomus monosporum WUM11 were assessed at jointing, silking, and pre-harvest stages of maize subjected to different soil moisture gradients i.e., well-watered (80% SMC (soil moisture contents)), moderate drought (60% SMC), and severe drought (40% SMC). The study found that AM fungi significantly (p < 0.05) affected various morpho-physiological and biochemical parameters at different growth stages of maize under drought. As the plants matured, AM fungi enhanced root colonization, glomalin contents, and microbial biomass, leading to increased nutrient uptake and antioxidant activity. This boosted AM fungal activity ultimately improved photosynthetic efficiency, evident in increased photosynthetic pigments and photosynthesis. Notably, R. irregularis and G. monosporum improved water use efficiency and mycorrhizal dependency at critical growth stages like silking and pre-harvest, indicating their potential for drought resilience to stabilize yield. The principal component analysis highlighted distinct plant responses to drought across growth stages and AM fungi, emphasizing the importance of early-stage sensitivity. These findings underscore the potential of incorporating AM fungi into agricultural management practices to enhance physiological and biochemical responses, ultimately improving drought tolerance and yield in dryland maize cultivation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Muhammad Abrar
- School of Life Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, Gansu, China; State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro-ecosystems, College of Ecology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, Gansu, China
| | - Ying Zhu
- Key Laboratory of Microbial Resources Exploitation and Application of Gansu Province, Institute of Biology, Gansu Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, 730000, Gansu, China.
| | - Muhammad Maqsood Ur Rehman
- School of Life Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, Gansu, China; State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro-ecosystems, College of Ecology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, Gansu, China
| | - Asfa Batool
- School of Life Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, Gansu, China; State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro-ecosystems, College of Ecology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, Gansu, China
| | - Hai-Xia Duan
- State Key Laboratory of Plateau Ecology and Agriculture, Qinghai University, Xining, 810016, China
| | - Umair Ashraf
- Department of Botany, Division of Science and Technology, University of Education, Lahore, 54770, Punjab, Pakistan
| | - Muhammad Aqeel
- State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro-ecosystems, College of Ecology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, Gansu, China
| | - Xiao-Fang Gong
- Key Laboratory of Microbial Resources Exploitation and Application of Gansu Province, Institute of Biology, Gansu Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, 730000, Gansu, China
| | - Yi-Nan Peng
- Key Laboratory of Microbial Resources Exploitation and Application of Gansu Province, Institute of Biology, Gansu Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, 730000, Gansu, China
| | - Wasim Khan
- School of Life Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, Gansu, China; State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro-ecosystems, College of Ecology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, Gansu, China
| | - Zhi-Ye Wang
- Key Laboratory of Microbial Resources Exploitation and Application of Gansu Province, Institute of Biology, Gansu Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, 730000, Gansu, China
| | - You-Cai Xiong
- School of Life Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, Gansu, China; State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro-ecosystems, College of Ecology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, Gansu, China.
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Xu Y, Tu Y, Feng J, Peng Z, Peng Y, Huang J. Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi Mediate the Acclimation of Rice to Submergence. PLANTS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2024; 13:1908. [PMID: 39065435 PMCID: PMC11280967 DOI: 10.3390/plants13141908] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2024] [Revised: 07/08/2024] [Accepted: 07/08/2024] [Indexed: 07/28/2024]
Abstract
Flooding is a critical factor that limits the establishment of a symbiosis between rice and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) in wetland ecosystems. The distribution of carbon resources in roots and the acclimation strategies of rice to flooding stress in the presence of AMF are poorly understood. We conducted a root box experiment, employing nylon sheets or nylon meshes to create separate fungal chambers that either prevented or allowed the roots and any molecules to pass through. We found that the mycorrhizal colonization rate and the expression of genes OsD14L and OsCERK1, which are involved in fungal perception during symbiosis, both increased in mycorrhizal rice roots following intermittent flooding compared to continuous flooding. Furthermore, AMF inoculation affected root morphological traits, facilitating both shallower and deeper soil exploration. Increased submergence intensity led to carbohydrate deprivation in roots, while high mycorrhizal colonization increased soil oxygen consumption and decreased the neutral lipid concentration in roots. However, mycorrhizal inoculation increased the rice photosynthesis rate and facilitated acclimation to submergence by mediating the expression of the genes OsCIPK15 and OsSUB1A to enhance rice shoot elongation and the sugar concentration in roots as a result of reduced competition for carbon between rice and AMF under different flooding conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanggui Xu
- Institute of Agricultural Resources and Environment, Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Guangzhou 510640, China; (Y.X.); (Y.T.); (Z.P.); (Y.P.)
- Key Laboratory of Plant Nutrition and Fertilizer in South Region, Ministry of Agriculture, Guangzhou 510640, China
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Nutrient Cycling and Farmland Conservation, Jinying Road, Guangzhou 510640, China
| | - Yuting Tu
- Institute of Agricultural Resources and Environment, Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Guangzhou 510640, China; (Y.X.); (Y.T.); (Z.P.); (Y.P.)
- Key Laboratory of Plant Nutrition and Fertilizer in South Region, Ministry of Agriculture, Guangzhou 510640, China
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Nutrient Cycling and Farmland Conservation, Jinying Road, Guangzhou 510640, China
| | - Jiayi Feng
- Guangdong Eco-Engineering Polytechnic, Guangzhou 510520, China;
| | - Zhiping Peng
- Institute of Agricultural Resources and Environment, Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Guangzhou 510640, China; (Y.X.); (Y.T.); (Z.P.); (Y.P.)
- Key Laboratory of Plant Nutrition and Fertilizer in South Region, Ministry of Agriculture, Guangzhou 510640, China
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Nutrient Cycling and Farmland Conservation, Jinying Road, Guangzhou 510640, China
| | - Yiping Peng
- Institute of Agricultural Resources and Environment, Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Guangzhou 510640, China; (Y.X.); (Y.T.); (Z.P.); (Y.P.)
- Key Laboratory of Plant Nutrition and Fertilizer in South Region, Ministry of Agriculture, Guangzhou 510640, China
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Nutrient Cycling and Farmland Conservation, Jinying Road, Guangzhou 510640, China
| | - Jichuan Huang
- Institute of Agricultural Resources and Environment, Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Guangzhou 510640, China; (Y.X.); (Y.T.); (Z.P.); (Y.P.)
- Key Laboratory of Plant Nutrition and Fertilizer in South Region, Ministry of Agriculture, Guangzhou 510640, China
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Nutrient Cycling and Farmland Conservation, Jinying Road, Guangzhou 510640, China
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Khan W, Zhu Y, Khan A, Zhao L, Yang YM, Wang N, Hao M, Ma Y, Nepal J, Ullah F, Rehman MMU, Abrar M, Xiong YC. Above-and below-ground feedback loop of maize is jointly enhanced by plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in drier soil. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 917:170417. [PMID: 38280611 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.170417] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2023] [Revised: 12/23/2023] [Accepted: 01/22/2024] [Indexed: 01/29/2024]
Abstract
Drought is a potent abiotic stressor that arrests crop growth, significantly affecting crop health and yields. The arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), and plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) can offer to protect plants from stressful environments through improving water, and nutrient use efficiency by strengthening plant root structure and harnessing favorable rhizosphere environments. When Acaulospora laevis (AMF) and Bacillus subtilus (PGPR) are introduced in combination, enhanced root growth and beneficial microbial colonization can mitigate drought stress. To assess this potential, a pot experiment was done with maize (Zea mays L.) to explore the effects of A. laevis and B. subtilus under different water levels (well-watered = 80 %; moderate water stress = 55 %; and severe water stress = 35 %) on maize yield, soil microbial activities, nutrients contents, root, and leaf functioning. Plants exposed to severe drought stress hampered their root and leaf functioning, and reduced grain yield compared with control plants. Combined use of AMF and PGPR increased root colonization (104.6 %-113.2 %) and microbial biomass carbon (36.38 %-40.23 %) under moderate to severe drought conditions over control. Higher root colonization was strongly linked with elevated ACC (aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid) production, subsequently enhancing water use efficiency (21.62 %-12.77 %), root hydraulic conductivity (1.9 %-1.4 %) and root nutrient uptake under moderate to severe drought conditions. Enhanced nutrient uptake further promoted leaf photosynthetic rate by 27.3 %-29.8 % under moderate and severe drought stress. Improving leaf and root physiological functioning enhanced maize grain yield under stressful environments. Furthermore, co-inoculation with AMF-PGPR reduced cellular damage by lowering oxidative enzyme levels and increasing antioxidative enzyme activities, improving plant performance and grain yield under stressful environments. Conclusively, the synergistic interaction of AMF with PGPR ensured plant stress tolerance by reducing cellular injury, facilitating root-leaf functioning, enhancing nutrient-water-use-efficiencies, and increasing yield under drought stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wasim Khan
- State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agroecosystems, School of Life Sciences/College of Ecology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, Gansu 730000, China
| | - Ying Zhu
- Key Laboratory of Microbial Resources Exploitation and Application, Institute of Biology, Gansu Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, Gansu 730000, China.
| | - Aziz Khan
- State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agroecosystems, School of Life Sciences/College of Ecology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, Gansu 730000, China
| | - Ling Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agroecosystems, School of Life Sciences/College of Ecology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, Gansu 730000, China
| | - Yu-Miao Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agroecosystems, School of Life Sciences/College of Ecology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, Gansu 730000, China
| | - Ning Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agroecosystems, School of Life Sciences/College of Ecology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, Gansu 730000, China
| | - Meng Hao
- State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agroecosystems, School of Life Sciences/College of Ecology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, Gansu 730000, China
| | - Yue Ma
- State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agroecosystems, School of Life Sciences/College of Ecology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, Gansu 730000, China
| | - Jaya Nepal
- Department of Soil, Water & Ecosystem Sciences, Indian River Research Center, University of Florida, Fort Pierce, FL, USA
| | - Fazal Ullah
- State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agroecosystems, School of Life Sciences/College of Ecology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, Gansu 730000, China
| | - Muhammad Maqsood Ur Rehman
- State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agroecosystems, School of Life Sciences/College of Ecology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, Gansu 730000, China
| | - Muhammad Abrar
- State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agroecosystems, School of Life Sciences/College of Ecology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, Gansu 730000, China
| | - You-Cai Xiong
- State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agroecosystems, School of Life Sciences/College of Ecology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, Gansu 730000, China.
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Zhang W, Xia K, Feng Z, Qin Y, Zhou Y, Feng G, Zhu H, Yao Q. Tomato plant growth promotion and drought tolerance conferred by three arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi is mediated by lipid metabolism. PLANT PHYSIOLOGY AND BIOCHEMISTRY : PPB 2024; 208:108478. [PMID: 38430785 DOI: 10.1016/j.plaphy.2024.108478] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2023] [Revised: 02/15/2024] [Accepted: 02/27/2024] [Indexed: 03/05/2024]
Abstract
Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) can promote plant growth and enhance plant drought tolerance with varying effect size among different fungal species. However, the linkage between the variation and the lipid metabolism, which is exclusively derived from plants, has been little explored thus far. Here, we established AM symbiosis between tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) plants and three AMF species (Rhizophagus intraradices, Funneliformis mosseae, Rhizophagus irregularis) under well watered (WW) or drought stressed (DS) conditions in pot experiment. The plant biomass, chlorophyll fluorescence Fv/Fm, shoot P content and mycorrhizal colonization were determined. Meanwhile, fatty acid (FA) profiles and relative expression of genes encoding for nutrition exchange (SlPT4, SlPT5, RAM2, STR/STR2) in roots were also monitored. DS significantly decreased plant biomass while AMF significantly increased it, with three fungal species varying in their growth promoting capacity and drought tolerance capacity. The growth promoting effect of R. irregularis was lower than those of R. intraradices and F. mosseae, and was associated with higher mycorrhizal colonization and more consumption of lipids. However, the drought tolerance capacity of R. irregularis was greater than those of R. intraradices and F. mosseae, and was associated with less decrease in mycorrhizal colonization and lipid content. We also found that AMF mediated plant drought tolerance via regulating both AM specific FAs and non-AM specific FAs in a complementary manner. These data suggest that lipid metabolism in AM plays a crucial role in plant drought tolerance mediated by AMF.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Improvement of Horticultural Crops (South China), Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Microbial Signals and Disease Control, Guangdong Engineering Research Center for Litchi, College of Horticulture, South China Agricultural University, China
| | - Kaili Xia
- Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Improvement of Horticultural Crops (South China), Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Microbial Signals and Disease Control, Guangdong Engineering Research Center for Litchi, College of Horticulture, South China Agricultural University, China; Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiomics and Precision Application (MARA), Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Microbial Culture Collection and Application, Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiome (MARA), State Key Laboratory of Applied Microbiology Southern China, Institute of Microbiology, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, China
| | - Zengwei Feng
- Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiomics and Precision Application (MARA), Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Microbial Culture Collection and Application, Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiome (MARA), State Key Laboratory of Applied Microbiology Southern China, Institute of Microbiology, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, China
| | - Yongqiang Qin
- Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiomics and Precision Application (MARA), Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Microbial Culture Collection and Application, Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiome (MARA), State Key Laboratory of Applied Microbiology Southern China, Institute of Microbiology, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, China
| | - Yang Zhou
- Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiomics and Precision Application (MARA), Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Microbial Culture Collection and Application, Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiome (MARA), State Key Laboratory of Applied Microbiology Southern China, Institute of Microbiology, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, China
| | - Guangda Feng
- Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiomics and Precision Application (MARA), Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Microbial Culture Collection and Application, Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiome (MARA), State Key Laboratory of Applied Microbiology Southern China, Institute of Microbiology, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, China
| | - Honghui Zhu
- Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiomics and Precision Application (MARA), Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Microbial Culture Collection and Application, Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiome (MARA), State Key Laboratory of Applied Microbiology Southern China, Institute of Microbiology, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, China.
| | - Qing Yao
- Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Improvement of Horticultural Crops (South China), Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Microbial Signals and Disease Control, Guangdong Engineering Research Center for Litchi, College of Horticulture, South China Agricultural University, China.
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