Roles and Interests of Mycorrhizal Communities in Agricultural and Agroforestry Practices

A special issue of Agriculture (ISSN 2077-0472). This special issue belongs to the section "Agricultural Soils".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 April 2022) | Viewed by 11397

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Agroecology, Hydrogeochemistry, Environments and Resources (AGHYLE), UniLaSalle, Mont-Saint-Aignan, France
Interests: soil microbial ecology; soil fertility; soil quality; organic matter; soil bioindicators; soil functions; agricultural practices
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Guest Editor
Institut Polytechnique UniLaSalle, research Unit AGHYLE UP2018.C101, Mont Saint Aignan, France
Interests: mycorrhizal symbiosis; agriculture and agroforestry; soil-plant-microbes interaction

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Mycorrhizal communities are recognized as consisting of powerful microbes that may contribute to plant nutrition and health. They are of major interest in the practical context of finding solutions to production and environmental problems in agriculture. In the context of global change and decrease of nutrient supply, research works on the role of mycorrhizal communities in drought stress responses and nutrient uptake would be welcome. Although the biology of mycorrhizal fungi has been widely studied, there is a lack of knowledge on the impact of agricultural and agroforestry practices on these microbes. Indeed, the role of agricultural practices on mycorrhizal networks is still not well understood. Contributions likely to increase our knowledge on the impact of agroecological practices, in agriculture and agroforestry, on mycorrhizal networks are requested. Such practices include plant cover, diversification of crop succession, mixed crops, and conservation tillage. Identifying practices that may help to develop soil mycorrhizal community networks is of major interest.

Dr. Isabelle Trinsoutrot-Gattin
Dr. Babacar Thioye
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • mycorrhizal community
  • soil fertility
  • agricultural practices
  • agroforestry

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

12 pages, 2279 KiB  
Article
Understanding Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Colonization in Walnut Plantations: The Contribution of Cover Crops and Soil Microbial Communities
by Babacar Thioye, Marc Legras, Lisa Castel, François Hirissou, Naouel Chaftar and Isabelle Trinsoutrot-Gattin
Agriculture 2022, 12(1), 1; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture12010001 - 21 Dec 2021
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2867
Abstract
Soil microorganisms play a central role in biological soil functioning. One of the beneficial microbiota that has a symbiotic association with most of the plants is arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF). Nevertheless, little is known about the impact of cover crops—widely used in conservation [...] Read more.
Soil microorganisms play a central role in biological soil functioning. One of the beneficial microbiota that has a symbiotic association with most of the plants is arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF). Nevertheless, little is known about the impact of cover crops—widely used in conservation agriculture or organic farming—on native mycorrhizal fungi. This study was conducted in Southern France, in 20-year-old walnut orchards, where faba bean (Vicia faba Roth) was intercropped. To find whether the native AM fungal community associated with walnut trees was influenced by cover crops and soil microbial communities, analyses of soil physicochemical and microbiological indicators were carried out with roots and soil samples collected from four modalities (walnut in conventional farming with and without cover crops, and walnut in organic farming with and without cover crops). Our results showed that the presence of cover crops mainly influenced the soil microbial abundance and activities in conventional plots. In contrast, cover crops stimulated AM fungal colonization of walnut roots in organic plots, reaching 35% and 54% for arbuscule abundance and mycorrhizal intensity, respectively. In conventional plots, ergosterol and mineral nitrogen contents were mainly correlated with mycorrhizal colonization, while only acid phosphatase activity in soil was positively correlated with mycorrhizal colonization in organic plots. The use of the faba bean showed the great role played by cover crops in the enhancement of walnut trees’ mycorrhizal colonization. Identification of the functional traits of AM fungi sensitive to walnut trees is required to inform decisions in specific agricultural practices. Full article
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8 pages, 541 KiB  
Article
Mycorrhizal Inoculation and Chemical Fertilizer Interactions in Pineapple under Field Conditions
by Dora Trejo, Wendy Sangabriel-Conde, Mayra E. Gavito-Pardo and Jacob Banuelos
Agriculture 2021, 11(10), 934; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture11100934 - 28 Sep 2021
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 3788
Abstract
Excessive inorganic fertilizers applied to pineapple crops in Mexico cause the progressive degradation and pollution of soils in the short- and long-term, and they also increase production costs. An alternative to reduce excessive fertilization is its partial substitution by nutrition and growth enhancing [...] Read more.
Excessive inorganic fertilizers applied to pineapple crops in Mexico cause the progressive degradation and pollution of soils in the short- and long-term, and they also increase production costs. An alternative to reduce excessive fertilization is its partial substitution by nutrition and growth enhancing arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF). The goal of this research was to compare the effect of AMF inoculation combined with different fertilizer doses and full chemical fertilization on pineapple yield variables in a commercial plantation. We used a randomized block design with six treatments: a non-inoculated control with 100% chemical fertilization, and five treatments with AMF inoculation and fertilization doses of 0%, 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100% chemical fertilization. There were four replicates of each treatment containing 30 plants in each experimental unit (plot). We measured the dry weight of the D-leaf 9 months after planting, and the root mycorrhizal colonization percentage, yield, and fruit quality after 18 months. Mycorrhizal inoculation equated to 100% chemical fertilization already when combined with 25% fertilization and surpassed it when combined with 50% fertilization in most of the yield variables measured. The fruit mass and organoleptic variables were significantly higher in mycorrhizal plants with 50% fertilization than in the non-inoculated control and the treatments inoculated with AMF and combined with 0%, 25%, 75%, and 100% of a dose of chemical fertilizer. Inoculation with mycorrhizal fungi in the field could reduce chemical fertilizer application by 50%, with no yield loss and with improved fruit quality. Full article
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10 pages, 975 KiB  
Article
Mycorrhizal Fungal Diversity and Its Relationship with Soil Properties in Camellia oleifera
by Rui-Cheng Liu, Zhi-Yan Xiao, Abeer Hashem, Elsayed Fathi Abd_Allah and Qiang-Sheng Wu
Agriculture 2021, 11(6), 470; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture11060470 - 21 May 2021
Cited by 18 | Viewed by 3120
Abstract
Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) are well known for their important physiological implications on diversified host plants, while the information on AMF diversity and its relationship with soil properties of Camellia oleifera is yet not fully understood. In the proposed study, high-throughput sequencing of [...] Read more.
Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) are well known for their important physiological implications on diversified host plants, while the information on AMF diversity and its relationship with soil properties of Camellia oleifera is yet not fully understood. In the proposed study, high-throughput sequencing of small subunit ribosomal RNA was performed to analyze the AMF diversity of the rhizosphere and endosphere of 20-year-old C. oleifera Xianglin in the field at Wuhan (China) and their relationship with soil physico-chemical properties. As high as 30.73–41.68% of the roots of C. oleifera were colonized by indigenous AMF with a spore density of 66–111 spores/10 g soil. The surface soil (0–20 cm) showed significantly higher root fungal colonization, spore density, soil hyphal length, and easily extractable glomalin-related soil protein content than the sub-surface soil (20–40 cm). Soil pH value, available K, and NO3-N content affected the root and soil mycorrhizal development, whilst soil pH proved to be the most influential soil property governing their variability. A total of 467 OTUs associated with AMF were detected from the endosphere and rhizosphere, representing 10 genera and 138 species, of which 295 OTUs and 9 genera were jointly observed. The genus Glomus displayed maximum relative abundance (>86%) in both endosphere and rhizosphere. Scutellospora was detected in the endosphere, but absent in the rhizosphere. The endosphere recorded a relatively higher number of OTUs and alpha diversity indices (Shannon, Simpson, and PD index) of AMF than rhizosphere. Our study, hence, revealed that C. oleifera in fields was mainly colonized by Glomus, coupled with comparatively greater AMF diversity in the endosphere than in the rhizosphere, governed predominantly by soil pH, NO3-N content, and available K content. Full article
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17 pages, 3047 KiB  
Article
Arbuscular Mycorrhization in Colombian and Introduced Rubber (Hevea brasiliensis) Genotypes Cultivated on Degraded Soils of the Amazon Region
by Clara P. Peña-Venegas, Armando Sterling and Tatiana K. Andrade-Ramírez
Agriculture 2021, 11(4), 361; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture11040361 - 16 Apr 2021
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 3283
Abstract
Rubber (Hevea brasiliensis, (Willd. Ex Adr. de Juss) Muell. Arg, Euphorbiaceae) is an important commercial latex-producing plant. Commercially, rubber is reproduced from a limited number of grifting genotypes. New promising genotypes have been selected to replace traditional genotypes. In addition, rubber [...] Read more.
Rubber (Hevea brasiliensis, (Willd. Ex Adr. de Juss) Muell. Arg, Euphorbiaceae) is an important commercial latex-producing plant. Commercially, rubber is reproduced from a limited number of grifting genotypes. New promising genotypes have been selected to replace traditional genotypes. In addition, rubber has been promoted to recuperate Amazon soils degraded by extensive cattle ranching. Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) symbiosis is an important alternative for improving plant nutrition in rubber trees and recuperating degraded soils, but AM fungal communities on different plantations and in rubber genotypes are unknown. Spore abundance, root colonization and AM fungal community composition were evaluated in rubber roots of Colombian and introduced genotypes cultivated in degraded soils with different plantation types. Traditional (spore isolation and description; clearing and staining roots) and molecular techniques (Illumina sequencing) were used to assess AM fungi. Rubber roots hosted a diverse AM fungal community of 135 virtual taxa (VT) in 13 genera. The genus Glomus represented 66% of the total AM fungal community. Rubber genotype did not affect the arbuscular mycorrhization, hosting similar AM fungal communities. The composition of the AM fungal community on old and young rubber plantations was different. Diversity in AM fungi in rubber roots is an important characteristic for restoring degraded soils. Full article
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