Vinca (Catharanthus roseus (L.) G. Don.)is an important medicinal plant species from which antineoplastic alkaloids such as vinblastine are extracted. However, neither abiotic stress nor inoculation of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) has been evaluated on the accumulation of vinca alkaloids under controlled conditions. This study evaluated the effects of AMF and/or abiotic stress induced by the application of potassium bicarbonate (KHCO 3 ) and/or sodium chloride (NaCl) on plant growth, and on total content of phenolic compounds (TCPC), total antioxidant activity (TAOX), and total content of vinblastine alkaloid in leaves of vinca. TCPC, TAOX, and vinblastine were measured via spectrophotometric methods. After 75 days under greenhouse conditions, either the AMF inoculation without abiotic stress or the application of KHCO 3 (2.5 and 7.5 mM) resulted in significantly (P≤0.001) enhanced plant growth, TCPC, TAOX, and total content of vinblastine. The application of NaCl significantly diminished plant growth, but did not stimulate the content of vinblastine. The combined application of NaCl and KHCO 3 significantly decreased AMF-colonization in roots. The sole inoculation of AMF or the single application of 7.5 mM KHCO 3 induced the accumulation of vinblastine in leaves of vinca.

Background: Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and biocrusts (BC), occur inside and outside Mimosa luisana resource islands (M. luisana-RI) at the Tehuacán-Cuicatlán Valley, Puebla-Oaxaca, Mexico. Objectives: To determine: 1) Whether there are AMF within biocrusts, 2) The abundance and richness of AMF, and 3) The potential of AMF propagation in BC and soil below BC inside (BC-RI, soil-BC-RI) and outside (BC-ORI, soil-BC-ORI) M. luisana-RI, and open areas (OA), in the rainy (September 2011) and dry (May 2012) seasons. Methods: AMF were extracted of biocrusts and soil samples collected inside and outside M. luisana-RI and OA, in both seasons. Spore abundance and species richness, as well as potential propagation of AMF were determined in laboratory and greenhouse. Results and Conclusions: Biocrusts inside and outside M. luisana-RI form reservoirs of AMF spores and species richness (12 spp.), and act as “shields” protecting AMF compared with OA (5 spp.). Seasonal changes in the AMF composition within the biocrusts and the soil suggest that the availability of water drives AMF assemblages. The AM fungal spores in BC-RI and BC-ORI have a high potential of propagation; however, the BC-ORI by buffering the loss of AMF in soil-BC-ORI, they form mycorrhizal inocula within the soil.