Mycorrhizae set the stage for plants to produce a higher production of biomolecules and stress-related metabolites: a sustainable alternative of agrochemicals to enhance the quality and yield of beetroot (Beta vulgaris L.)

Abstract

Population explosions, environmental deprivation, and industrial expansion led to an imbalanced agricultural system. Non-judicial uses of agrochemicals have decreased agrodiversity, degraded agroecosystems, and increased the cost of farming. In this scenario, a sustainable agriculture system could play a crucial role; however, it needs rigorous study to understand the biological interfaces within agroecosystems. Among the various biological components with respect to agriculture, mycorrhizae could be a potential candidate. Most agricultural crops are symbiotic with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF). In this study, beetroot has been chose to study the effect of different AMFs on various parameters such as morphological traits, biochemical attributes, and gene expression analysis (ALDH7B4 and ALDH3I1). The AMF Gm-Funneliformis mosseae (Glomus mosseae), Acaulospora laevis, and GG-Gigaspora gigantean were taken as treatments to study the effect on the above-mentioned parameters in beetroot. We observed that among all the possible combinations of mycorrhizae, Gm+Al+GG performed best, and the Al-alone treatment was found to be a poor performer with respect to all the studied parameters. This study concluded that the more the combinations of mycorrhizae, the better the results will be. However, the phenomenon depends on the receptivity, infectivity, and past nutrient profile of the soil.

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi travel the world with underground crop harvest

“…Like several other species of the Amaranthaceae/Chenopodiaceae, Beta vulgaris has been described as facultatively mycotrophic (Brundrett, 1991). Some reports found that representatives of that species were nonhosts to AM fungi (Hajiboland et al, 2020), while others have reported a low to moderate extent of AM fungal colonization under experimental conditions (Yadav et al, 2023). The observation of AM in roots of S. bicolor plants inoculated with fresh beetroot peel suggests that the latter contained live propagules of AM fungi, and/or that these had been attached to the peel surface.…”

Mycorrhizal Fungi in Sustainable Agriculture and Land Restoration

“…Additionally, mycorrhizal fungi are essential in terrestrial ecosystems as they regulate nutrient cycles and influence various ecosystem processes [6]. It is now well known that mycorrhizae protect plants against several biotic and abiotic stresses and influence plant growth and performance, i.e., seedling survival and productivity [7]. In recent decades, interest in mycorrhizal symbiosis has increased regarding sustainable agriculture, forestry, and land restoration management [8].…”