2024/04/02 by Zebene Asfaw, Asfaw, Zebene, Håkan Hultén +1
Agricultural and Biological Sciences · Environmental Science · #Mycorrhizal Fungi and Plant Interactions #Soil Carbon and Nitrogen Dynamics #Conservation, Biodiversity, and Resource Management
paper · doi:10.20372/pthqah17
Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) enhance plant growth and productivity through nutrient acquisition, organic matter decomposition, improved soil health, increased resilience and stress tolerance. A higher percentage of root colonisation by AMF indicates a stronger symbiotic relationship and potentially greater benefits to the plant. A high abundance of AMF spores reflects their overall potential to colonise plant roots. The aim of this study was to determine the number of spores and root colonisation potential of AMF in the soil beneath Cordia and Millettia trees grown in enset and maize fields, and to estimate the extent of AMF colonisation of Millettia and maize seedling roots grown on these field soils. Six tree-crop combinations, making 36 plots, and two open maize plots in the traditional agroforestry systems of Sidama. At the field level, the study was conducted under the canopy of Cordia africana and Millettia ferruginea trees in different plots. To assess the relationship, root colonisation and spore counts of field soils sampled from different Cordia and Millettia trees in enset and maize plots, maize and Millettia plants were grown in the nursery. The tree-crop combinations induced higher spore counts and higher colonisation levels than in the open maize field. Significantly, lower numbers of spores were observed in soils under Cordia and Millettia trees grown in maize plots than under trees grown in enset coffee and enset plots. The order of colonised roots was: tree enset coffee > tree enset > tree maize for Cordia trees and tree enset > tree enset coffee > tree maize for Millettia trees. At the nursery level, a significantly higher level of root colonisation was observed for maize plants grown on soil from under tree-enset-coffee and enset plots than for those grown on soil from tree-maize and open maize plots. The percentage of AM colonised maize roots was significantly positively correlated with spore counts for field soils. Both maize and Millettia plants with high root colonisation achieved higher fresh weight. The presence of spore counts and root colonisation in the plants studied suggests a contribution of native AMF in improving plant growth and productivity.