Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) can enhance drought tolerance in plants, whereas little is known regarding AMF contribution to sucrose and proline metabolisms under drought stress (DS). In this study, Funneliformis mosseae and Paraglomus occultum were inoculated into trifoliate orange (Poncirus trifoliata) under well watered and DS. Although the 71-days DS notably (P < 0.05) inhibited mycorrhizal colonization, AMF seedlings showed significantly (P < 0.05) higher plant growth performance and leaf relative water content, regardless of soil water status. AMF inoculation significantly (P < 0.05) increased leaf sucrose, glucose and fructose concentration under DS, accompanied with a significant increase of leaf sucrose phosphate synthase, neutral invertase, and net activity of sucrose-metabolized enzymes and a decrease in leaf acid invertase and sucrose synthase activity. AMF inoculation produced no change in leaf ornithine-δ-aminotransferase activity, but significantly (P < 0.05) increased leaf proline dehydrogenase activity and significantly (P < 0.05) decreased leaf both Δ1-pyrroline-5-carboxylate reductase and Δ1-pyrroline-5-carboxylate synthetase activity, resulting in lower proline accumulation in AMF plants under DS. Our results therefore suggest that AMF strongly altered leaf sucrose and proline metabolism through regulating sucrose- and proline-metabolized enzyme activities, which is important for osmotic adjustment of the host plant.
Citrus is a salt-sensitive plant. In the present study, the salt stress ameliorating the effect of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi through antioxidant defense systems was reported. Three-month-old trifoliate orange (Poncirus trifoliata) seedlings colonized by Glomus mosseae or G. versiforme were irrigated with 0 and 100 mmol NaCl solutions. After 49 days of salinity, mycorrhizal structures were obviously restrained by salt stress. Mycorrhizal inoculation especially G. mosseae significantly alleviated the growth reduction of salinity. There were notably lower malondialdehyde and hydrogen peroxide contents in the leaves of mycorrhizal seedlings than in non-mycorrhizal ones. Mycorrhizal seedlings recorded notably greater activity of catalase and contents of ascorbate, soluble protein and glutathione under salinity or non-salinity conditions. The seedlings colonized by G. mosseae showed significantly higher antioxidant defense systems response to salinity than by G. versiforme. Our data demonstrate that mycorrhizal (especially G. mosseae) citrus seedlings exhibited greater efficient antioxidant defense systems, which provide better protection against salt damage.
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