The impact of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in mitigating salt-induced adverse effects in sweet basil (Ocimum basilicum L.)

Abstract

Salinity is one of the serious abiotic stresses adversely affecting the majority of arable lands worldwide, limiting the crop productivity of most of the economically important crops. Sweet basil () plants were grown in a non-saline soil (EC = 0.64 dS m), in low saline soil (EC = 5 dS m), and in a high saline soil (EC = 10 dS m). There were differences between arbuscular mycorrhizal () colonized plants (+AMF) and non-colonized plants (-AMF). Mycorrhiza mitigated the reduction of K, P and Ca uptake due to salinity. The balance between K/Na and between Ca/Na was improved in +AMF plants. Growth enhancement by mycorrhiza was independent from plant phosphorus content under high salinity levels. Different growth parameters, salt stress tolerance and accumulation of proline content were investigated, these results showed that the use of mycorrhizal inoculum (AMF) was able to enhance the productivity of sweet basil plants under salinity conditions. Mycorrhizal inoculation significantly increased chlorophyll content and water use efficiency under salinity stress. The sweet basil plants appeared to have high dependency on AMF which improved plant growth, photosynthetic efficiency, gas exchange and water use efficiency under salinity stress. In this study, there was evidence that colonization with AMF can alleviate the detrimental salinity stress influence on the growth and productivity of sweet basil plants.

Responses of basil cultivars to irrigation water salinity

“…Other authors also observed significant reduction in basil dry matter in response to salt stress (Zahedi et al, 2011;Fatemi & Aboutalebi, 2012;Heidari, 2012;Bione et al, 2014;Elhindi et al, 2016). In a study conducted by Bione et al (2014) in hydroponic system (NFT), the authors observed reduction in TDM of 6.02% per unit increase in salinity, a value lower than that obtained in the present study.…”

The Impact of the Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi on Growth and Physiological Parameters of Cowpea Plants Grown under Salt Stress Conditions

“…The development of salt-tolerant crops or desaliniation of soil by leaching excessive salts is not sufficient to overcome this problem. In recent years, the use of the biological applications; mycorrhizal symbiosis as a practical method to alleviate a soil stresses like salinity on plant growth and production has received a greater attention (Elhindi et al, 2016).…”

Diversity of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi associated with Brachiaria brizantha pastures in lowlands of Oaxaca, Mexico

“…However, little information is available about the relationships of low electric conductivity and magnesium concentrations on the AMF spore density. Most studies on this topic have been conducted to test the impact of the growth of plants in saline soils with AMF inoculation (Elhindi, El‐Din, & Elgorban, ; Pollastri et al., ). As far as we know, our study is the first to suggest that a decrease in electric conductivity and magnesium concentrations might be associated with a low AMF spore density.…”