Abstract
Increasing crop production to ensure future food security while reducing environmental pressure on agro-ecosystems requires improved water and nutrient use efficiency. The soil microbial community directly and/or indirectly has important consequences on food security since soil microbes participate in several soil processes. Thus, it is important to increase our understanding of AM fungal and maize genotype interactions, the impact of N and P fertilization and water condition on the symbiosis, and on the physiology and nutritional status of maize plants. In two greenhouse experiments AM inoculated plants exhibited root colonization values around 70% which was confirmed by the presence of the AM lipid biomarker (C16:1cis11). Nitrogen fertilization increased AM root colonization, but only compared to unfertilized plants. Root colonization and biomarker concentration in root and soil were similar among inoculated maize genotypes across conventional and drought tolerant hybrids. Mycorrhizal inoculation had a positive impact on maize plant P uptake, but neither increased N uptake nor chlorophyll content in leaves. Nitrogen fertilization increased P concentration in plant tissue under AM inoculation, but decreased P concentration under non-inoculated conditions. There were positive plant biomass and chlorophyll responses as N fertilization increased, but not for P fertilization. Except for increased P uptake, results from both greenhouse studies are inconclusive about why most of the parameters evaluated were unresponsive or negatively affected by AM inoculation. In a field experiment, indigenous AM fungi effectively colonized maize roots to the same magnitude regardless of maize genotype and soil water condition. Increased soil extramatrical AM biomass, suggesting greater C allocation from plant to AM fungus, was observed under water-limited conditions and also among maize genotypes. In addition, while water limitation caused a shift in the overall soil microbial community, maize hybrids influenced specific microbial groups. Bacterial and actinomycete markers, and also total microbial biomass significantly increased under water stress. Interactions among AM fungi, plants and nutrients appear to be complex making plant responses to AM fungi difficult to predict and explain. Further studies on the mechanisms involved are needed to gain further insight into the complex relationships among AM fungi, maize and soil fertility management to maximize benefit from the AM fungi/plant symbiosis.
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Claims 14
Claim · model-written summary
Inoculated maize roots had about 70% AM colonization.
Zea maysOrganisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“AM inoculated plants exhibited root colonization values around 70% which was confirmed by the presence of the AM lipid biomarker (C16:1cis11).”
t0“maize genotypes”
Claim · model-written summary
Nitrogen fertilization increased AM colonization compared with unfertilized plants.
- Treatment
- Nitrogen fertilizatione0
- Interactor
- AMe0symbiont
- Outcome
- AM root colonizatione0
- Direction
- increasede0
- Comparator
- unfertilized plantse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Nitrogen fertilization increased AM root colonization, but only compared to unfertilized plants.”
t0“maize genotypes”
Claim · model-written summary
Colonization and biomarker concentration were similar across maize hybrids.
- Material
- conventional and drought tolerant hybridse0
- Interactor
- AMe0symbiont
- Outcome
- Root colonization and biomarker concentration in root and soile0
- Direction
- similare0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Root colonization and biomarker concentration in root and soil were similar among inoculated maize genotypes across conventional and drought tolerant hybrids.”
Claim · model-written summary
AM inoculation increased maize P uptake.
- Treatment
- Mycorrhizal inoculatione0
- Interactor
- Mycorrhizale0symbiont
- Outcome
- maize plant P uptakee0
- Direction
- positive impacte0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Mycorrhizal inoculation had a positive impact on maize plant P uptake”
Claim · model-written summary
AM inoculation did not increase N uptake or chlorophyll.
- Treatment
- Mycorrhizal inoculatione0
- Interactor
- Mycorrhizale0symbiont
- Outcome
- N uptake nor chlorophyll content in leavese0
- Direction
- neither increasede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Mycorrhizal inoculation had a positive impact on maize plant P uptake, but neither increased N uptake nor chlorophyll content in leaves.”
Claim · model-written summary
Nitrogen raised plant P concentration under AM inoculation.
- Treatment
- Nitrogen fertilizatione0
- Interactor
- AMe0symbiont
- Outcome
- P concentration in plant tissuee0
- Direction
- increasede0
- Qualifier
- under AM inoculatione0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Nitrogen fertilization increased P concentration in plant tissue under AM inoculation”
t0“maize genotypes”
Claim · model-written summary
Nitrogen lowered plant P concentration without AM inoculation.
- Treatment
- Nitrogen fertilizatione0
- Outcome
- P concentratione0
- Direction
- decreasede0
- Qualifier
- non-inoculated conditionse0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Nitrogen fertilization increased P concentration in plant tissue under AM inoculation, but decreased P concentration under non-inoculated conditions.”
t0“maize genotypes”
Claim · model-written summary
Increasing nitrogen increased plant biomass and chlorophyll.
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“There were positive plant biomass and chlorophyll responses as N fertilization increased, but not for P fertilization.”
t0“maize genotypes”
Claim · model-written summary
Phosphorus fertilization did not produce positive biomass and chlorophyll responses.
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“There were positive plant biomass and chlorophyll responses as N fertilization increased, but not for P fertilization.”
t0“maize genotypes”
Claim · model-written summary
Indigenous AM fungi colonized maize roots similarly across genotype and water conditions.
- Material
- maize genotypee0
- Interactor
- indigenous AM fungie0symbiont
- Outcome
- colonized maize rootse0
- Direction
- same magnitudee0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“indigenous AM fungi effectively colonized maize roots to the same magnitude regardless of maize genotype and soil water condition.”
Claim · model-written summary
Water limitation increased soil extramatrical AM biomass.
- Treatment
- water-limited conditionse0
- Interactor
- AM funguse0symbiont
- Outcome
- soil extramatrical AM biomasse0
- Direction
- Increasede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Increased soil extramatrical AM biomass, suggesting greater C allocation from plant to AM fungus, was observed under water-limited conditions and also among maize genotypes.”
Claim · model-written summary
Water limitation shifted the overall soil microbial community.
Not reportedComparatorDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“water limitation caused a shift in the overall soil microbial community”
t0“maize genotypes”
Claim · model-written summary
Maize hybrids influenced specific microbial groups.
Not reportedDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“maize hybrids influenced specific microbial groups.”
Claim · model-written summary
Water stress increased bacterial and actinomycete markers and microbial biomass.
- Treatment
- water stresse0
- Outcome
- Bacterial and actinomycete markers, and also total microbial biomasse0
- Direction
- increasede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Bacterial and actinomycete markers, and also total microbial biomass significantly increased under water stress.”
t0“maize genotypes”
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