Journal
SCIENTIA HORTICULTURAE
Volume 107, Issue 3, Pages 245-253Publisher
ELSEVIER
DOI: 10.1016/j.scienta.2005.07.006
Keywords
arbuscular mycorrhiza; drought; fruit yield; nutritiom; tomato
Categories
Ask authors/readers for more resources
The effects of root colonization by the arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungus Glomus intraradices Schenck and Smith on growth, flower and fruit production, and fruit quality were studied in field-grown tomato plants exposed to varying intensities of drought stress. Inoculated (M+) and non-inoculated (M-) tomato seedlings were exposed to varying intensities of drought stress by adjusting irrigation intervals. Mycorrhizal plants had significantly higher uptake of N and P in both roots and shoots regardless of intensities of drought stress. AM inoculation also significantly increased shoot dry matter and the number of flowers and fruits. The fruit yields of M+ plants under severe, moderate, mild drought-stressed conditions were higher than M- plants by 24.7%, 23.1%, 16.2% and 12.3%, respectively. Furthermore, M+ plants produced tomato fruits that contain significantly higher quantities of ascorbic acid and total soluble solids (TSS) than M- plants. Mycorrhizal effects increased with increasing intensity of drought. The overall results suggest that myocorrhizal colonization affects host plant nutritional status, water stratus and growth under field conditions and thereby alters reproductive behaviour, fruit production and quality of fruits under both well-watered and drought-stressed conditions. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available