Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) was considered as a biotechnological tool for plant stress tolerance improvement and degraded ecosystem restoration. However, the variations in the effects of AMF species and abundance on plant performance under stress condition have to be still investigated. The study was conducted to evaluate the mechanisms of five AMF species, single or mixture, on Leymus chinensis stress tolerance along a saline-alkaline gradient. The results showed that AMF enhanced plant stress tolerance by promoting plant growth, enhancing nutrient absorption, maintaining ion balance, and improving photosynthetic efficiency. Funneliformis mosseae, Rhizophagus intraradices and the mixture treatments had more beneficial effects than Diversispora versiformis and Acaulospora scrobiculata inoculations. Plant grown under high stress level exhibited more benefits from AMF symbiosis. Our study suggests that not only presence of AMF, but also the species and abundance should be considered to reveal the exact effects of AMF on plant saline-alkaline tolerance and degraded grassland restoration.
The carbon content in the microbial biomass and the microbial production of CO 2 (the biological component of soil respiration) were determined in the upper layer (0-10 cm) of soils in the impact zone of the OJSC Voskresensk Mineral Fertilizers, one of the largest factories manufacturing mineral fertilizers in Russia. Statistical characteristics and schematic distribution of the biological parameters in the soil cover of the impact zone were analyzed. The degree of disturbance of microbial communities in the studied objects varied from weak to medium. The maximum value (0.44) was observed on the sampling plot 4 km away from the factory and 0.5 km away from the place of waste (phosphogypsum) storage. Significantly lower carbon content in the microbial biomass and its specific respiration were recorded in the agrosoddy podzolic soil as compared with the alluvial soil sampled at the same distance from the plant. The effects of potential soil pol lutants (fluorine, sulfur, cadmium, and stable strontium) on the characteristics of soil microbial communities were described with reliable regression equations.
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