Nutritional status, essential oil changes and water-use efficiency of rose geranium in response to arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and water deficiency stress

Stress induced by water deficit is considered to be a global problem and one of the most important factors limiting crop production in arid and semi-arid regions of the world. Application of certain microorganisms, including arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), is considered to be an effective and su...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Symbiosis (Philadelphia, Pa.) Pa.), 2017-09, Vol.73 (1), p.15-25
Main Authors: Amiri, Rasekh, Nikbakht, Ali, Etemadi, Nematollah, Sabzalian, Mohammad Reza
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Arbuscular mycorrhizas
Biomass
Biomedical and Life Sciences
Crop production
Developmental Biology
Ecology
Efficiency
Essential oils
Evolutionary Biology
Factorial experiments
Fungi
Harsh environments
Inoculation
Irrigation
Life Sciences
Microbiology
Microorganisms
Nutrient uptake
Nutrients
Nutritional status
Oils & fats
Plant Sciences
Water use
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Summary:Stress induced by water deficit is considered to be a global problem and one of the most important factors limiting crop production in arid and semi-arid regions of the world. Application of certain microorganisms, including arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), is considered to be an effective and sustainable strategy to mitigate the problem. A pot experiment was conducted in the field (from Feb. to Sep. in 2013–2014 in Isfahan, Iran) to assess the effectiveness of AMF inoculation on changes in biomass, essential oils, nutrient uptake and water-use efficiency of rose geranium ( Pelargonium graveolens L.) experiencing stress induced by a deficit of water. The experiment was planned as a factorial experiment, using a completely randomized design, with two factors, including four AMF inoculation (non-mycorrhizal, Rhizophagus intraradices and Funneliformis mosseae inoculated , and the combination of both species) and three irrigation levels including well-watered (WW), moderate water deficiency (MWD) and severe water deficiency (SWD). The results indicated the occurrence of an adverse effect of water deficit on plant total biomass; however, AMF inoculation positively increased plant biomass compared to the non-inoculated ones under three irrigation levels. MWD condition resulted in higher essential oil (EO) content (12.4 %), water-use efficiency (WUE) (29.5 %) and glomalin-related soil proteins (GRSP) (19.1 %) in the plants compared to WW condition. Furthermore, all AMF inoculation improved EO content by at least 12 k%. The results also showed that severe water deficiency adversely affected the uptake of most nutrients by plants especially in non-inoculated plants. The results also revealed that, although EO production was under the control of irrigation regime, nutrient uptake was critically dependent on an association with mycorrhizae. Notwithstanding the fact that rose geranium can tolerate moderate drought stress, the high responsiveness of rose geranium to AMF under water deficiency stress confirms the key role of AMF in facilitating the production of this valuable crop in harsh environments. Dual infection of rose geranium with two AMF species could also synergistically affect biomass, essential oil content and mineral elements absorption.
ISSN:0334-5114
1878-7665
DOI:10.1007/s13199-016-0466-z