Inoculation with mycorrhizal fungi on the growth and tolerance to water deficit of coffee plants

Abstract

Water stress can be alleviated in plants inoculated with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi compared to that experienced by those without mycorrhizae. The objective of this study was to evaluate the growth of coffee plants colonized by arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi under different soil moisture conditions. Seeds of the coffee cultivar Catuaí Vermelho IAC 99 and three fungal inoculants (Rhizophagus clarus, Claroideoglomus etunicatum and Dentiscutata heterogama) were used in this study. The soil moisture contents tested were 40, 60, 80, and 100% of field capacity. Seedlings in the matchstick stage were inoculated with mycorrhizae, and then later planted in plastic pots when they developed four to five pairs of definitive leaves. Both the extent of mycorrhizal colonization and increases in leaf area were related to soil moisture content in a quadratic manner for plants inoculated with all three mycorhizzal fungi (R. clarus, C. etunicatum, and D. heterogama), as well as for non-inoculated ones. The highest value of colonization of coffee by mycorrhizae was 39%, which occurred in association with R. clarus at 71% of field capacity. The leaf areas of plants inoculated with fungi increased more than those of non-inoculated plants, regardless of the type of inoculum used. Plants inoculated with D. heterogama at 100% field capacity produced 21% more root dry mass than non-inoculated plants did. Inoculation with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and higher soil moisture increased the growth of coffee seedlings. The plants inoculated with R. clarus, C. etunicatum, and D. heterogama were tolerant to moderate water deficits (i.e. lower soil water contents). Mycorrhizal colonization was highest for plants in soils with moisture levels close to 75% of field capacity.

Interaction soil compaction and soil moisture in physiological responses of freshly planted coffee

“…The relative growth rate of coffee is higher in FC than in WD (Cavatte et al, 2012). The coffee tree growth decreased as the soil water availability reduced (Moreira et al, 2018), and both the vegetative and reproductive stages were affected by WD (Aparecido & Rolim, 2018). Normally, plant growth under water stress is reduced due to its decrease in photosynthetic rate (Liu et al, 2016).…”

The use of soil biostructures created by soil fauna ecosystem engineers fed with different organic matterials as inoculum source of arbuscular mycorrhiza fungi on cocoa seedling

“…According to Bahrun et al (2018), most small farmers grow cocoa seedlings in polybags filled with unsterilized. Adaptation to poor soil fertility and water deficit conditions of cocoa seedlings can be further improved by the application of AMF spore inoculum (Moreira et al, 2018;Seutra Kaba et al, 2021). Azizah Chulan (1991), reported the inoculation of AMF spores (Scutellospora calospora) produced from a mixture of soil and infected root pieces significantly increased nutrient absorption and growth in cocoa seedlings grown in sterilized soil.…”

High rates of agricultural gypsum affect the arbuscular mycorrhiza fungal community and coffee yield

“…Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi are obligate biotrophic symbionts of widespread occurrence in soils with coffee plantations (Arias et al 2012). Previous research has shown that coffee plants are extremely dependent on such symbiosis (Saggin Júnior and Siqueira 1996), which increases their tolerance to fungal pathogens, nematodes (Alban et al 2013), water deficit (Moreira et al 2018) and weeds (França et al 2016) and improves their intake of nutrients (Saggin Júnior et al 1994), especially phosphorus (Siqueira et al 1998). In addition to these direct benefits to coffee plants, AMF species play a role in soil structure through their extraradical hyphae and production of a protein in the mycorrhizal fungal cell walls, called glomalin (Carneiro et al 2015).…”