Shifts of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal functioning along a simulated nitrogen deposition gradient

In this study, the mycorrhizal response affected by environmental N enrichment was addressed by conducting a glasshouse experiment, and four fertilization treatments (N1, N2, N3, and N4, 0, 15, 30, and 60  kg N hm−1 a−1, respectively) were used to simulate N deposition differences over the mycorrhizal response. The changes in mycorrhizal colonization and plant variables during different AMF and N fertilizer applications were investigated. When the gradient's nitrogen levels increased, the mycorrhizal growth response and mycorrhizal nitrogen response showed a pattern of first dropping and then increasing. N-induced changes in the mycorrhizal response were associated with vesicular colonization, arbuscular colonization, and root-length colonization. The variation in the mycorrhizal response over the N concentration gradient highlights the critical role of AMF in agroecosystems.
Source: Food and Energy Security - Category: Food Science Authors: Tags: ORIGINAL ARTICLE Source Type: research