We conclude that inoculation with Glomus intraradices resulted in improved essential oil yield and quality, while combined application of foliar fertilizer and mycorrhizal fungi predominantly enhanced shoot biomass accumulation.

The study evaluated the response of pea (Pisum sativum cv. Avola) to arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AM) species Glomus mosseae and Glomus intraradices and Rhizobium leguminosarum bv. viceae, strain D 293, regarding the growth, photosynthesis, nodulation and nitrogen fixation activity. Pea plants were grown in a glasshouse until the flowering stage (35 days), in 4 kg plastic pots using leached cinnamonic forest soil (Chromic Luvisols -FAO) at P levels 13.2 (P1) and 39.8 (P2) mg P/kg soil. The obtained results demonstrated that the dual inoculation of pea plants significantly increased the plant biomass, photosynthetic rate, nodulation, and nitrogen fixation activity in comparison with single inoculation with Rhizobium leguminosarum bv. viceae strain D 293. On the other hand, coinoculation significantly increased the total phosphorus content in plant tissue, acid phosphatase activity and percentage of root colonization. The effectiveness of coinoculation with Rhizobium leguminosarum and Glomus mosseae was higher at the low phosphorus level while the coinoculation with Glomus intraradices appeared to be the most effective at higher phosphorus level.

The effects of Cd, Pb, and Zn uptake on plant morphology, photosynthetic parameters, antioxidant potential, and essential oil yield and quality in Ocimum basilicum L. and Origanum vulgare L. plants were evaluated. The plants were grown as a pot experiment in soil heavily polluted with Cd and Pb and on unpolluted soil. Both plants accumulated Cd, mainly in the roots, while Pb occurred in the oregano shoots only. The leaf blade thickness of both plants increased when grown in polluted soil. Basil plants responded to the action of heavy metals with increases in gas exchange , stomatal conductivity, and transpiration, but water-use efficiency declined. Gas exchange and transpiration were reduced in treated oregano plants, but stomatal conductivity and water-use efficiency increased significantly. In basil, the increased levels of low molecular weight antioxidants such as phenols and flavonoids were observed, while in oregano, ascorbate, glutathione, and phenols were enhanced. Enzymatic antioxidant defense was observed in both plants when grown in contaminated soil, mainly with glutathione peroxidase, quaiacol peroxidase, glutathione S-transferase, and glutathione reductase. Accumulated levels of Cd, Pb, and Zn in plant organs resulted in a reduction in essential oil yield in basil only.

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