Utilization of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi in Production of Allium Species

Abstract

The fundamental direction of modern agriculture development is elaboration and utilization of technologies that ensure environmental safety, high plant productivity and quality of crop production. In this connection, the issues of optimization of mineral nutrition and water supply, immunity enhancement and protection of plants against various forms of biotic and abiotic stresses without significant environmental stress are of current interest. Normal growth and development of almost all plants on the Earth depends on the presence of mycorrhizal fungi in the soil, which ensure optimal plant nutrition and water supply due to the huge number of hyphae. The review discusses the prospects for the use of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in the cultivation of Allium species, as the most responsive plants to the effects of mycorrhizae due to the poorly developed root system that hinders the nutrition of plants. It is noted that utilization of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi may provide the reduction of the amount of fertilizers, herbicides and insecticides needed for high productivity of crops. The review deals with the peculiarities of symbiotic interrelations of different species of mycorrhizal fungi (pure and mixed cultures, mainly of the genus Glomus) with different Allium species (onion, garlic, shallot, leek, A. roylei, A. fistulosum, A. galanthum). Questions of agricultural crops quality as affected by arbuscular mycorrhizal fungy are discussed. Data on the effect of climatic conditions on the efficiency of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi utilization in Allium production are discussed. The possibility of increasing the efficiency of biofortification of Allium species with selenium via utilization of arbuscular-mycorrhizal fungi is noted, as well as an increase in the content of biologically active sulfur-containing compounds in garlic. Particular attention is paid to the necessity of the development of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi preparations in Russia – the country not using this ecologically friendly technology at present.

Effects of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi on Yield, Biochemical Characteristics, and Elemental Composition of Garlic and Onion under Selenium Supply

“…The results stemming from the present work are in accordance with the reports from several investigations regarding the beneficial effect of AMF inoculation on the antioxidant status of plants, including onion and leek [8,[28][29][30]. In similar growing conditions to those arranged in our study, the antioxidant status showed peculiar changes as a function of the species examined, i.e., garlic or onion (Tables 3 and 4): The AMF inoculation had a higher beneficial effect on onion than on garlic.…”

“…The efficiency of AMF inoculation is governed by the type of AMF, plant species, soil nutrient bioavailability to plants, climate, and stress factors [6,7]. The limited root apparatus expansion in Allium plants, compared to most other genera, makes them extremely reactive to mycorrhizal fungi, thus allowing a decrease in the mineral fertilizer supply [8]. Notably, AMF enhance the uptake of Ca, Zn, S, Cu, Fe, and Mn, in addition to phosphorous, nitrogen, and potassium [9].…”

Prospects of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi Utilization in Production of Allium Plants

“…AMF are beneficial microorganisms forming symbiotic relationships with most of terrestrial plant species, and their application has become a major farming practice in modern agriculture for increasing crop yield and product quality along with a concurrent decrease of mineral fertilizers, herbicides, and insecticides utilization [9][10][11].…”

Effect of Selenium Biofortification and Beneficial Microorganism Inoculation on Yield, Quality and Antioxidant Properties of Shallot Bulbs

“…The latter encourage plant growth and development, as they positively affect nutrient uptake efficiency and biomass, soil pathogen suppression, and tolerance of drought, salinity, and heavy metals by producing phytohormones and changing the root morphology [8,9]. The inoculation of beneficial microorganisms represents an environmentally friendly tool which is gaining importance in modern agriculture in the improvement of vegetable yield and quality while decreasing the use of mineral fertilizers, herbicides, and insecticides [8,10].…”

“…Moreover, among agricultural crops, the Allium species are particularly sensitive to the presence of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in the soil, which increase the root absorption surface through their hyphae, thus encouraging soil nutrient accumulation and water exploitation. AMF inoculation in Allium crops can also enhance plant antioxidant properties [10].…”