Effects of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi on the Growth and Competitive Ability of Solanum rostratum, an Invasive Plant

Single spore propagation of native arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi associated with Khasi mandarin and their symbiotic efficacy in maize

Plant Species Shape the Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Community and Plant Performance in Legume Crops and Weeds

Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi are often considered host generalists. Although the host-mediated assembly of AM fungal communities is well documented, its functional significance remains poorly understood, particularly in organic and low-input agroecosystems, where crop–weed interactions may influence the soil AM fungal reservoir. We investigated plant and AM fungal functional traits, mycorrhizal dependency (MD), and root AM communities in three legume crops and five weed species grown in pots with the same indigenous AM fungal inoculum. AM fungal communities were characterized using SSU rRNA gene clone libraries, sequencing, and terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP) analysis. Of 825 examined clones, 792 were assigned to AM fungi, representing 23 RFLP types. Plant species significantly affected the plant traits, root colonization, spore density, extraradical mycelium density, and MD. PERMANOVA revealed that plant species explained 97.3% of the variation in the AM fungal community structure, although this result should be interpreted cautiously because within-species dispersion may have contributed to the explained variance. RELATE analysis showed a significant association between the AM fungal community structure and plant–AM fungal functional traits. The specific root length, shoot and root N concentrations, AM fungal colonization, and spore abundance best explained community patterns. Legume crops supported greater AM fungal development and positive growth responses, whereas several weeds hosted diverse AM communities without showing biomass benefits. These findings highlight that weed management could indirectly influence AM fungal persistence through host-mediated community assembly, although field validation is required.

Spore-based arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal community in an olive cultivation area in southern Brazil

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), belonging to the phylum Glomeromycota, establish symbiotic associations with approximately 90% of terrestrial plant species and play a key role in nutrient acquisition, tolerance to abiotic stresses, and agroecosystem functioning. Although olive cultivation has expanded in southern Brazil, information on native AMF communities associated with this crop remains scarce. This study characterized the AMF community associated with the rhizosphere of the olive cultivars Arbequina, Coratina, and Picual cultivated in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Soil sampling was conducted in February 2025, during the summer dry season, when trees were in a vegetative growth, were not flowering or fruiting. Because AMF sporulation may vary according to host phenology and seasonal environmental conditions, the present survey reflects fungal communities under vegetative growth during the dry season. Spores were extracted by wet sieving and identified based on morphological characteristics. Six species belonging to five genera: Acaulospora koskei, Glomus ambisporum, Diversispora globifera, Gigaspora decipiens, Gigaspora rosea, and Scutellospora calospora. G. ambisporum was dominant in all cultivars. Differences among cultivars were observed for G. decipiens, D. globifera, and G. rosea. Cultivar identity explained 56.2% of the total compositional variation. Coratina showed lower evenness due to the dominance of G. ambisporum. SIMPER analysis indicated that G. ambisporum and G. decipiens accounted for 59.7% of the dissimilarity between Arbequina and Coratina. This study represents the first inventory of AMF associated with olive rhizospheres in southern Brazil and provides a basis for selecting native isolates for future inoculant development.

Effects of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi on Rhizosphere Microorganisms and Plant Phenotype of Common Bean

This study aimed to investigate the effects of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) on the growth and development of common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) and on the microbial environment of the rhizosphere soil. Using the common bean inbred line ‘Jinguan’ as the experimental material, we examined the effects of AMF inoculation on seedling growth and the dynamic changes in rhizosphere microbial communities. The results showed that AMF could establish a stable symbiotic association with common bean roots. By applying seed coating technology to encapsulate AMF around the seeds, and in comparison with the blank control group (CK), the AMF-inoculated plants exhibited altered ratios of fungal to bacterial community structures in the rhizosphere soil. This alteration in root-associated communities subsequently modified plant growth performance, providing a reference for screening beneficial microbial consortia in common bean cultivation.

Isolation of arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi and their effect on growth performance of Kalmegh (Andrographis paniculata (Burm.f.) Nees)

- Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi were symbiotically associated in roots of the Andrographis paniculata in mutual relationships that help in enhancing plant growth performance. The present study was carried out to study the effect of arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi on the growth parameters of Kalmegh (Andrographis paniculata). The rhizospheric soil and plant samples were collected from the diverse regions of Washim district and were used in the pot experiment. The pots were filled with a mixture of sterilized rhizospheric soil and Farm Yard Manure (FYM) and labeled experimental pots were sown with seeds of Andrographis paniculata along with control. The experimental pots were inoculated using three species of isolated AM fungi like Glomus fasciculatum, Glomus intraradices, and Glomus mosseae. The effect of these isolated AM fungi was evaluated in growth performance comprising microscopic characterization of isolated AM fungal species, plant height, root length, fresh and dry weight, and total number of roots and leaves of pot grown Andrographis paniculata. In results, the AM fungi were posing a noteworthy effect on plant height (76.4±4.9 cm of G. mosseae treated plants), root length (16.8±1.3 cm of G. mosseae treated plants), total number of average roots (26±1.6) and leaves (41±3.3) per plant, and fresh weight (50.3 ± 4.6 g) and dry weight (8.9 ± 1.0 g) in G. mosseae treated plants. Such improvement in above tested growth parameters revealed that AM fungi can significantly contribute to enhance the growth performance of Kalmegh.

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi combined with mycorrhizal helper bacteria synergistically enhance cadmium stress resistance of cucumber seedlings and change soil bacterial community.

It is suggested that FS treatment enhances the resistance of cucumber seedlings to Cd stress, and this effect may be associated with changes in the rhizosphere microbial community, activation of soil nutrients, and enhanced plant nutrient uptake.