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Field Application of Mycorrhizal Inoculant Influences Growth, Nutrition, and Physiological Parameters of Corn Plants and Affects Soil Microbiological Attributes
- Source :
- Agronomy, Vol 14, Iss 12, p 3006 (2024)
- Publication Year :
- 2024
- Publisher :
- MDPI AG, 2024.
-
Abstract
- Mycorrhizal inoculants can contribute to the development of corn crops by improving crop productivity. In this sense, the objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of a mycorrhizal inoculant on the dynamics of root system growth, gas exchange, corn crop productivity, and microbial activity in the rhizospheric soil in a no-till area with different levels of available soil phosphorus. The experiment was conducted during the 2019/2020 and 2020/2021 growing seasons. At 75 days after plant emergence, root morphological parameters (total root length (cm), average root diameter (mm), root surface area (cm2), and root volume), shoot biomass production, P content in the plant shoots, gas exchange, and microbiological attributes of the rhizospheric soil of corn were evaluated. At the end of the cycle, corn grain yield was determined. A beneficial effect of AMF inoculation was observed on the root and shoot parameters regardless of soil P level. Under conditions of evenly distributed rainfall during the experiment (2019/2020 season), AMF inoculation contributed to a 90% increase in acid phosphatase activity and a 76% increase in microbial biomass carbon (C-BIO), independent of soil P level. In contrast, under water deficit conditions (2020/2021 season), AMF inoculation provided a 29% increase in grain yield. We concluded that introducing a commercial mycorrhizal inoculant in corn benefits root system morphological parameters and physiological traits, and favors the activity of enzymes related to increased P availability, contributing to increased crop productivity in a no-till system.
- Subjects :
- enzymes
phosphorus
Rhizophagus intraradices
symbiosis
Zea mays
Agriculture
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 20734395
- Volume :
- 14
- Issue :
- 12
- Database :
- Directory of Open Access Journals
- Journal :
- Agronomy
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- edsdoj.8cb1dd9a02064f1aa80918b684b96a20
- Document Type :
- article
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy14123006