The Interaction between Hydromulching and Arbuscular Mycorrhiza Improves Escarole Growth and Productivity by Regulating Nutrient Uptake and Hormonal Balance

Abstract

To improve water and nutrient use efficiencies some strategies have been proposed, such as the use of mulching techniques or arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) inoculation. To gain insights into the interaction between the use of hydromulch and AMF inoculation on plant growth and productivity, escarole plants (Cichorium endivia, L.) were inoculated with the AMF Rhizophagus irregularis and grown with non-inoculated plants under different soil cover treatments: ecological hydromulching based on the substrate of mushroom cultivation (MS), low-density black polyethylene (PE), and non-covered soil (BS). AMF inoculation or the use of mulching alone, but especially their interaction, increased the plant growth. The growth improvement observed in AMF-inoculated escarole plants grown under hydromulching conditions was mainly associated with the upgrading of nitrogen and phosphorous use efficiency through the regulation of the hormonal balance. Both hydromulching and AMF inoculation were found to increase the active gibberellins (GAs) and cytokinins (CKs), resulting in a positive correlation between these hormones and the growth-related parameters. In contrast, the ethylene precursor 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid (ACC) and abscisic acid (ABA) decreased in AMF-inoculated plants and especially in those grown with the MS treatment. This study demonstrates that there exists a positive interaction between AMF and hydromulching which enhances the growth of escarole plants by improving nutrient use efficiency and hormonal balance.

Organic Hydromulches in Young Olive Trees in Pots: Effects on Soil and Plant Parameters

“…Other authors [9], when using some of the hydromulches employed in this study (MS, RH, and WS) in escarole plants grown in small pots, observed few differences in the gas exchange parameters between mulched and non-mulched treatments in fully irrigated plants, although with deficit irrigation, the MS, RH, and polyethylene (PE) plants presented significantly higher g s than the plants grown in bare soil. In a recent study, Romero-Muñoz et al [10] attributed the highest gas exchange-related parameters in PEmulched plants to the physical properties of this material, arguing that the impermeability of PE blocked substrate evaporation, and, consequently, the plants had to increase stomatal opening to facilitate plant water (and gas) exchange, resulting in an increase in photosynthetic activity. In our study, the treatment most similar to PE with regard to physical properties would be RHL, although the previous argument did not result in a different behavior for this treatment.…”

“…It was recently concluded that escarole plants grown over hydromulches based on a rice husk, cereal straw, and mushroom substrate exhibited significantly improved growth under water stress conditions [9]. In the same crop, it was also found that hydromulch composed of mushroom by-products combined with the inoculation of a type of mycorrhizae improved the growth of escarole [10]. Using the same mixtures to test perennial weed emergence, it was observed that these materials reduced the appearance of certain weed species, confirming their potential to be used as a non-chemical weed control method [3].…”

Improvement of Nutrient Content, Physiological Traits and Grain Yield of Maize Varieties Grown in Saline Soil by Combining Biochar, Mycorrhizal Fungi and Silicon Foliar Application

“…It has been reported that the use of Bch affects the absorption of nutrients and water and causes an increase in RWC and a decrease in ion leakage under salinity stress conditions . Also, the combination of Bch and AMF improves growth and water absorption by inducing the expression of speci c genes and balancing plant hormones [52][53][54][55][56][57][58][59][60].…”

The arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi inoculation affects plant growth and flavonoid content in tomato plant (Lycopersicum esculentum Mill.)

“…AMF inoculation can increase the production of plant growth hormones such as auxins, cytokinins, and gibberellins, which play a role in cell division and elongation [41][42][43]. Stem enlargement is affected by the presence of the hormones auxin and gibberellins [40,44].…”