Yield and Quality of Mycorrhized Processing Tomato Under Water Scarcity

Abstract

An open field trial was established to evaluate production, carotenoids, ascorbic acid, and soluble solids of processing tomato inoculated with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi either at sowing, and reinoculated at transplanting compared to non-treated plants under different soil moisture conditions. Depending on plant water requirement, all treatments induced to three levels of water supply: Full water supply, half water supply, and no water supply by adjusting the water amount. Regardless of mycorrhizal inoculation time and dosage, plants under no water supply conditions faced severe stress and showed no enhancement in growth, yield, and water use efficiency. Mycorrhizal re-inoculation significantly increased the marketable fruit yield, the total biomass, the water use efficiency, and leaf water potential under water shortage conditions in half water supply compared to at sowing inoculated mycorrhizal plants, and non-treated plants as well, suggesting that field mycorrhizal re-inoculation enhances colonized plant water stress avoidance. A strong negative correlation was observed between yield and soluble solid content. Concisely, mycorrhizal re-inoculation was more effective than inoculation at sowing.

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“…3); more efficient water use by mycorrhized tomatoes was also observed in previous field grown tomatoes (Bakr et al 2017;Bowles et al 2016). Irrigation did increase marketable yield from 65 to 72, and 85 tons per hectare in IR 0 , IR 50 , and IR 100 in non-inoculated plants, but not reaching significant levels statistically.…”

“…Mycorrhizal inoculation increased the above ground total biomass in AM plants by 4%, 34%, and 9% in IR 0 , IR 50 , and IR 100 respectively compared to Control plants (Fig. 2), and this in compatible with (Lekberg et al, 2005;Ortas et al, 2013) additional mycorrhization enhances the growth in field crops, and in processing tomato (Bakr et al, 2017;Candido et al, 2015). The growth enhancement is related to better nutrient (Augé, 2001) and water (Ruth el at., 2011) uptake from the soil.…”

“…2). The relatively high root colonization levels in control plants is due to natural occurrence of AMF in most of the agricultural soils in Hungary, where Glomeraceae family is dominating the mycorrhizal community (Magurno et al, 2015), and the fact that even the agronomical practices such as winter tillage and bar fallow did not reduce AM colonization potential (Bakr et al, 2017). Mycorrhizal inoculation increased the above ground total biomass in AM plants by 4%, 34%, and 9% in IR 0 , IR 50 , and IR 100 respectively compared to Control plants (Fig.…”

“…This symbiont relationship backs up tomato plants to avoid water lack stress (Bakr et al, 2017;Candido et al, 2015), while the host plant supplies the fungus with photosynthates and an ecological niche. The improvement direct and indirect water uptake by AMF (Ruth et al, 2011), is also accompanied by enhancement in nutrient acquisition and uptake especially phosphorus (P), leading to better water retention in plant, enhanced physiological functions, and better growth (Augé, 2001; more efficiently under dry soil conditions (Neumann and George, 2004).…”

“…The improvement direct and indirect water uptake by AMF (Ruth et al, 2011), is also accompanied by enhancement in nutrient acquisition and uptake especially phosphorus (P), leading to better water retention in plant, enhanced physiological functions, and better growth (Augé, 2001; more efficiently under dry soil conditions (Neumann and George, 2004). Further inoculation with commercial inoculum did enhance crop productivity and colonization rate, with no quality improvement (Bakr et al, 2017;Candido et al, 2015). In tomato, antioxidants composition is affected by abiotic factors such as irrigation, temperature, and light (Pék et al, 2014), but mycorrhization could improve lycopene and β-carotene in fruits (Ulrichs et al, 2008).…”