Establishment of catclaw plants (Mimosa biuncifera Benth.) inoculated with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in greenhouse and field drought conditions

Abstract

Abstract:Mexico is dominated by arid or semi-arid ecosystems, predominantly characterized as xeric shrublands. These areas are frequently deteriorated due to agriculture or over-grazing by livestock (sheep and goats). The vegetation type mainly consists of thorny plant species, and among these, the dominant one in overgrazed areas is catclaw (Mimosa biuncifera). This is a nurse plant that facilitates establishment of other vegetation and promotes plant succession. Catclaw plants form a mutualistic association with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), which improves uptake of nutrients and water. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of inoculating catclaw plants with native AMF and starting their growth under a low water availability treatment in a greenhouse, and later transplanting them to field conditions of drought and deterioration. Field plants were evaluated according to their survivorship and growth. The seeds of catclaw plants and soil with AMF spores were collected in the Mezquital Valley of Hidalgo State, in Central Mexico. Seedlings were grown in individual pots in a greenhouse. The experimental design consisted of two levels of pot irrigation, wet (W) and dry (D), as well as the presence (M+) or absence (M-) of AMF inoculum, with 20 replicates for each treatment. The following plant parameters were recorded every week: height, number of leaves and pinnae, and mean diameter of coverage. After 20 weeks in the greenhouse, determination was made of fresh and dry biomass, relative growth rate (RGR), root/shoot ratio, real evapotranspiration (RET), water-use efficiency (WUE), and percentage of mycorrhizal colonization. The remaining plants growing under the dry treatment (M+ and M-) were then transplanted to a semi-arid locality in the Mezquital Valley. During one year, monthly records were kept of their height, number of leaves, mean diameter of coverage and survival. Results showed that compared to greenhouse plants under other treatments, those under the wet mycorrhizal (WM+) treatment were taller, had more pinnae, and were characterized by greater coverage, faster RGR, and greater fresh and dry biomass. Moreover, inoculated plants (WM+ and DM+) showed higher WUE than those uninoculated (WM-and DM-, respectively). After one year in field conditions, there was a higher survival rate for previously inoculated versus uninoculated plants. Hence, mycorrhization of M. biuncifera with native AMF inoculum increased plant efficiency in biomass production, thus favoring establishment and survival in field conditions. We concluded that inoculation of catclaw plants is recommendable for revegetation programs in deteriorated semi-arid zones. Approximately 60 % of land area in Mexico is arid or semi-arid (Herrera-Arreola, Herrera, Reyes-Reyes, & Dendooven, 2007). Thorny xerophytic shrubland represents nearly 40 % of the Northern and central regions of the country (Rzedowski, 1994). The main farming activities in semi-arid areas are low-rainfall agriculture and animal husbandry with small livestock ...

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) promote the growth of the pioneer dune plant of coastal areas

“…This is corroborated by Gao et al (2020) in a study with Gossypium hirsitum L. demonstrating the positive effect of AMF in phosphorus absorption and consequent enhance of plant growth. The observed productivity is a consequence of functional efficiency as a response to the higher uptake of water and nutrients verified in AMF inoculated plants (Romero, 2012), which allows greater development of leaves than non-inoculated plants (Atwell et al, 1999;Peña-Becerril et al, 2016;Wang et al, 2019). The colonization of the bean roots by AMF was verified from the eighth week of growth, evidenced by the presence of hyphae and vesicles in the cortex of the root segments.…”

Índice de hemerobia para la evaluación de la conservación del bosque de pino-encino en una microcuenca

“…8 (44) caracterizan por cambios tanto en las características abióticas (humedad del aire, contenido de humedad y temperatura del suelo, grado de insolación, focos de erosión, etcétera), como en las bióticas, tales como la propiciada presencia de especies neófitas, así como una disminución del banco de semillas (Peña-Becerril et al, 2005;Santos y Tellería, 2006). Nuevamente, el sitio # 1 es el que mayor cercanía tiene a las zonas en proceso de desertificación más notorio.…”